Queen's Gambit
by bittasummer
Summary: AU modern, set in London. In a land of power and a time of wealth, everyone deceives each other. In a sea of secrets, Merlin, Morgana, Arthur and Gwen struggle to survive. Full plot and summary inside. Primarily Mergana with some Arthur/Gwen, Gwen/Lancelot. Multi-chapter. Work in progress.
1. Foreword

_Title: _Queen's Gambit

_Summary:_ AU modern. When talented architect Gaius Balter is screwed out of his shares of a company owned by he and billionaire Uther Pendragon, his young apprentice Merlin decides to get even with a scheme to rob him with the help of con artist Gwaine and a few other tricksters. Unfortunately for Merlin, that involves getting cosy with Uther's adoptive daughter; Morgana le Fay. Rated M for profanity, later scenes of a sexual nature and minor violence. Primarily Merlin/Morgana with some Arthur/Gwen and Gwen/Lancelot.

_Disclaimer: _I don't own anything in the Merlin franchise, and my plot is loosely taken from several films all jumbled together.

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Foreword**

"_True friends stab you in the front"_

— Oscar Wilde

**::**

Raindrops splattered like hail stones upon the yellow umbrella that Gaius held in his shaky hands. It was a simple Tuesday night and he found himself on the roof top of Camelot; a three hundred foot tall prestigious hotel on the exclusive district of Mayfair, London. The elite hotel had twenty eight stories, four hundred & fifty three rooms and fifty seven suites. It was just one in a chain of buildings around the world, but the headquarters remained in London, where it was originally founded twenty years ago by multi-billionaire Uther Pendragon and his long time friend and business partner Gaius.

Gaius was once a fresh out of college post graduate architect with a penchant for hanging around the right kind of clubs and night bars. A chance mugging outside on a cold winter night saw Gaius chase off several hoodlums, who had imposed themselves rather roughly on a drunken Uther Pendragon. After Gaius had helped Uther, they had bonded over their love of Edgar Allan Poe and got so drunk that they both woke up in a dumpster the following morning with no shoes on either man's feet. The next morning, they realised they had more in common than they originally thought. Uther was a savvy business man who just so happened to need an architect to draw up building plans for his pitch of hotels.

Fast forward twenty years and Uther had took on Gaius as his business partner. Gaius was the brain and creativity behind everything and Uther had the Pendragon business drive to make sure that they both succeeded. Gaius was the less wealthy of the two, even more so recently due to a small gambling habit that had snuck under his skin sometime around his 70th birthday and fifth mid life crisis. Which is exactly why Gaius was feeling particularly nervous that night, having been called to the roof top of Camelot by his business partner Uther. They always talked privately in Uther's headquarters or discussed their worries openly in boardroom meetings.

When Uther strode onto the roof top with an anxious assistant holding an umbrella over his head and several other men dressed similarly in dubious suits, Gaius instantly knew that something was wrong. He looked upon his long time friend and realised that there was nothing friendly about his expression. Uther had aged well over the years, becoming even more predatory and vicious than his father had been before him. The rain continued to drop, unwilling to let up even for the slightest of moments. It felt like an omen, and Gaius found himself wishing he hadn't come up here alone.

"Gaius," Uther greeted, though it felt more like a warning.

"Care to tell me why you're letting an old man catch pneumonia up here?" Gaius replied lightly. Better not to anger the beast right away.

"Our situation has changed, Gaius," Uther strode forwards again and the anxious assistant hurried with the umbrella to make sure Uther didn't get wet. Uther was wearing one of those black fur coats and Gaius briefly thought that Uther made Cruella de Vil look like Mary Poppins. The atmosphere changed the second he glanced at the aging architect, like prey. Like Gaius was a mink and Uther wanted to skin his fur for a matching hat and scarf.

"Is this about my personal account?" Gaius asked, but he already knew the answer. He'd already drained his personal account from the gambling and owed nearly forty five thousand pounds to various casinos around London. Not to mention the ones in Paris and Las Vegas.

"It's time for a change," Uther said, and he nodded at his five burly henchmen behind him. One of the henchmen pulled out a brown folder from his suit pocket and walked towards Gaius while the others chose to surround him.

"What is this, Uther?" Gaius demanded, more severe this time. His heartbeat was rising slightly. There was no way he could defend himself against one of those guys, let alone five.

"Ownership papers," Uther said coldly, his expression controlled. He didn't look angry, but he sounded it. "I want you to sign over your shares of Camelot. And the new shares you've got with the up and coming Albion."

Gaius gaped, horrified. His entire life's work. "B—But my life, Uther," he rambled, "And I've got bills to pay and—"

"I've paid off your gambling debts, Gaius," Uther interrupted him, "No need to thank me. You'll get your pension, and that's more than you deserve. You actually thought you could keep your gambling problem from me? I'm the champion of secrets, don't you forget that."

Gaius was speechless. More than twenty working years together... all for nothing. Albion was Uther's latest project; the newest in a line of hotel and joint casinos that he was opening up around London, something that Gaius also had a foot in as well. Now Uther wanted Gaius to sign over his shares to both, releasing any ownership to the company and leaving him with nothing but a monthly pension.

All of Gaius' hard work and talent down the drain. Uther would ruin him; nobody would want to hire him after Uther Pendragon blacklisted him. The saddest thing about it all was that Gaius wasn't even surprised. Uther had mowed down a lot of people to get what he wanted over the years and Gaius knew more than the other man would have liked.

"How can you do this to me?" was Gaius' first thought. "We've been friends and business partners for more than twenty years. We've spent every Christmas together since I can remember, I babysat Arthur and Morgana, I'm like your family. How can you do this to me?"

"Family's overrated," Uther replied. "I appreciate all your years of hard work, but you've got to go. You didn't tell me about your gambling problem and it was lucky I found out by my private investigator rather than some rival company trying to blind side me. And let's be honest, you're getting on a bit, you're not as young as you used to be. It's time to let go of the reigns. You're a liability."

Hot angry tears swarmed their way into Gaius' eyes. How _dare_ someone as jaded as Uther Pendragon tell him that he had to let go of the reigns! How dare Uther tell him that _he_ was a liability. The amount of dirt Gaius had on Uther was enough to bury him alive. If anyone was the liability to the business empire's reputation, it was Uther, not him.

"What if I refuse?" Gaius snapped, furious.

Uther actually had the audacity to chuckle. "I think you know exactly what I'll do to get what I want. Surely you don't need me to remind you of Gorlois?"

Gaius breathed in sharply, eyeing the men surrounding him. The man holding the brown folder was still standing in front of him. "Don't you dare talk about Gorlois," he hissed.

Uther laughed again, "Don't play the victim. You knew exactly what would happen to him and I didn't see you putting your life on the line to save the old fool."

Gaius swallowed a lump in his throat. Uther was right; he hadn't saved Gorlois' life, and it had been one of his biggest regrets.

"Sign the papers, I have dinner reservations," Uther commanded.

Gaius stared down at the brown folder, resentful. Then out of sheer stupidity and bravery, he spat, "No."

Uther batted his eyes, bored. Then he nodded quickly and one of the men surrounding Gaius reached out and punched the old man in the gut. Gaius groaned, dropping the umbrella in his hand and doubling over to fall on his knees. The same man kicked him in the stomach and Gaius cried out again. The pain seared throughout his lower abdomen, he couldn't handle it, he wanted to pass out.

"Sign _it_," Uther gritted out.

The man with the brown folder lowered down and handed Gaius a pen. Gaius' hand shook as he reached out and forced himself to sign on the dotted lines, effectively ending his involvement with the Camelot franchise. The man turned a page over and Gaius signed again; ending any ties to the up and coming Albion franchise that he had most been looking forward to. He dropped the pen and lay his head down on the wet ground, grimacing as the rain threatened to drown him. It was official; he was virtually penniless and broke, if you counted the crappy pension and sideline architect workshop he ran independently.

"Don't look so down, Gaius," Uther took the brown folder from his henchman and tucked it safely under his arm. "There's always spoiled widowers who want skylights."

"You're an evil man," Gaius groaned.

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I have insurance, isn't it?" Uther replied promptly, "If you tell anyone about my secrets, you'll go down too. I hear prison isn't too friendly for traitors," he was already walking away, leaving his ex business partner behind.

"What goes around," Gaius muttered, grimacing.

Uther disappeared with his assistant and five henchmen.

Gaius tried to press himself up onto his arms but he felt too weak and ended up collapsing again. At that very moment, a sharp pain started going up and down his left arm and he cried out, clutching his hand to his chest. He felt like he couldn't breathe, his life was spinning out of control and the pain wouldn't stop. It was torture.

He begged for death, he begged for mercy, but it never came. Maybe he deserved this, maybe this was his karma. Uther was right. Gaius' hands weren't clean either. Maybe this was his comeuppance. Drenched, wet, soaked, the water around him threatened to drown his lungs from the inside out. There was no relief. Only hell.

The last thing he saw before darkness was the murky sky above and like Uther, it was no friend of his.


	2. The Elephant in the Room

**A/N: **Thank you for reviewing anons! First Morgana/Merlin interaction in this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think, it gives me inspiration!

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter One**

_The Elephant in the Room_

**::**

Merlin raced into the emergency room; speeding up to the receptionist's desk. His black hair was dripping wet, he had forgotten his coat and he was still half asleep, but that didn't matter. He was desperate to find out if Gaius was alright. Gaius was an old family friend of Merlin's mother; Hunith, but he was more like a father/uncle/grandfather figure that Merlin had never had in his life. He had taken Merlin on in his architect workshop as an apprentice when the boy was sixteen and they had spent nearly every day together since then. Gaius had little family; his sister living in Australia and his second cousin having dementia.

Gaius had been good friends with Merlin's father Balinor and understood the resentment Merlin felt towards his dad; who had abandoned him and his mother when he was five years old. There was so much history with Gaius, so much love – Merlin couldn't lose him. He'd almost fell on his way over to the hospital about fifteen times, he couldn't even think straight. He rang the bell on the empty receptionist's desk about twenty times, nearly screaming at the same time.

"Do you need medical attention?" a male nurse rushed over to the counter, asking Merlin.

"No," Merlin gasped, "I—I need to see a patient, he was admitted after midnight. Gaius Balter, he made one of the nurses call me, he had a heart attack and was rushed in. I need to see him. Is he alright?"

The nurse went round the desk and checked the computer screen, holding back an expression of exhaustion and annoyance. He looked at Merlin and said, "Gaius Balter is on floor three, ward four, room eleven but only family members can see him."

"I'm his nephew," Merlin lied quickly. It was a good enough lie, Gaius practically was his uncle in every single way. Merlin had never had another mentor like Gaius in his life; the man was invaluable. "And thank you," he sped for the stairs, heading up another floor to the third, frantically checking the wards until he found the right one.

He couldn't think about anything else until he saw Gaius, alive. He would help him with the workshop, take over, take on more responsibility, force him on a healthy diet, even take him to the gym. He would do just about anything for Gaius, and vice versa.

Merlin was almost breathless by the time he found Gaius' room. It was a private one, and he didn't even bother to knock. He just pushed on the handle and barged inside. Gaius was lying on a hospital bed, with an IV drip hooked into his hand and a bunch of tubes and wires sticking to his chest. Merlin felt tears swarm into his eyes. He'd never seen Gaius look so old, or so vulnerable. He was wearing a hospital gown and tucked under several layers of bed sheets.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Merlin rushed over to his mentor.

Gaius blinked slowly, looking upwards, "Merlin," he whispered, reaching out for the boy's hand. "I'm sorry to call you so late, but I'm changing my next of kin, putting you down as my grandson, so you can sign me the hell out of here."

Merlin laughed shakily, "No Gaius, you can't leave just yet," he gaped, confused, "What happened to you?"

"Just a minor heart attack," Gaius coughed, his speech slurred by the medication given no doubt, "I'm fine, just a little fender bender, no big deal."

"Just a little fender bender? Gaius, you could have died. I don't understand, the guy who called said you were found on the roof top of Camelot by one of the smokers," Merlin swallowed thickly, "What were you doing up there?"

Gaius frowned, shaking his head, "I'm tired, Merlin."

Merlin nodded understandingly, "But you're going to be okay, aren't you?"

Gaius nodded, "Of course. It's going to take more than a little heart attack to get rid of me. I'll probably just need to rest for a while. Which makes sense, because I've quit my job."

Merlin narrowed his eyes, "What? What do you mean, quit your job? How do you quit being Uther Pendragon's business partner? I thought that man was like the mafia."

"He's something like that," Gaius murmured weakly.

"Gaius, did he fire you?" Merlin continued.

"No, Merlin," Gaius groaned, "Can we talk about this, later? I'm sorry, but I'm just so tired."

"No, of course," Merlin nodded, "You sleep, I'm going to be right here beside you the entire time, okay? I'll go call my mother and then I'll be right back."

Merlin walked to the door and gave Gaius one last look before exiting.

**::**

* * *

**The Next Day**

It was ten the next morning when Merlin was awakened by a Doctor coming into the room. He'd fallen asleep on the beside chair beside Gaius, waking every other hour to check that his mentor was still breathing. He rubbed his eyes, yawning, and straightening up. Gaius was still asleep.

"Hi there, I'm Doctor Karev," the woman introduced herself. "You must be Mr Balter's grandson, he talked a lot about you last night."

Merlin nodded, glancing over to his mentor, "I'm Merlin. Is he going to be okay, Doc?"

Doctor Karev smiled brightly, "If Gaius rests up and readjusts his diet and exercise then I think he'll recover just fine."

"Is that the lovely female Doctor I saw in my dreams?" Gaius groaned, waking at the sound of her voice.

Merlin laughed, rubbing the back of his neck; an anxious habit.

"That's me, Mr Balter," Doctor Karev picked up the charts on the end of the bed. "Your vitals are looking better today, you've got a strong heart."

"What caused the heart attack?" Merlin asked.

"Most likely stress," Doctor Karev replied, "Could also be a diet high in fat and sugar, your blood pressure was rocketing through the roof when we brought you in, but that could also be caused by stress. Don't worry, you'll get a full discharge chat with me before you leave. And lots of free pamphlets on living healthier."

"Can't wait," Gaius mumbled.

"There's some sensitive information about your x-ray results that you might not want your grandson to hear," Doctor Karev said suddenly.

Merlin frowned and glanced to his old mentor.

"He's fine," Gaius replied, "Like you said, he's my grandson."

Doctor Karev paused for a moment and then continued, "There was some bruising to your ribs and lower abdomen, Mr Balter, which match the external bruising on your stomach."

"Bruising?" Merlin stood up, "What does that mean?"

Doctor Karev hesitated. "The most likely cause of the bruising is from assault, which could have put pressure on your grandfather's heart, equally causing his minor heart attack," she turned to Gaius this time, "Mr Balter, it's my legal obligation to call the police if I treat a patient that I think has been assaulted. Can you tell me how you received the bruising?"

"I fell down the stairs yesterday," Gaius replied slowly, licking his dry lips, "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to cause a fuss. I live a very stressful life, I don't have time to go to the hospital, but I can absolutely assure you Doctor Karev, that I was not assaulted in any way."

Doctor Karev nodded back, "Okay, if you say so. But the next time you do take a fall, you should definitely check it out. Better safe than sorry."

"Thank you, Doctor," Merlin said as she left the room. He rounded on Gaius the second she was gone and said, "It was Uther, wasn't it? He fired you and then hit you, didn't he?"

Gaius shook his head, "Of course not, Merlin—"

"You don't have stairs in your apartment, or in your workshop," Merlin interrupted quickly, "You're not clumsy, you don't fall. Now you say you've quit your job; a life long _career_ you spent more than twenty years building. I know how cut throat Uther Pendragon is, he fired you, didn't he?"

Gaius sighed, putting his head back onto his pillow.

"Gaius, please," Merlin added softly, "I just want to know what happened. We don't lie to each other. We've always been honest."

"Uther forced me to sign over my shares of Camelot and Albion," Gaius whispered.

Merlin's eyes set ablaze, "_He_ what?"

"I refused at first, but he was persuasive," Gaius gestured to his stomach, "I haven't told you this, Merlin, but... I'm in debt, lots of it. I had a gambling problem a while ago and I got over it, but the stress of the job and with Uther opening up a line of casinos and hotels, I slipped back into my old ways. It was just a for a weekend, I swear, but I lost a lot of money. Uther found out and thought I was a liability. He paid my debts to cover up my indiscretions in case it effected him with future clients and made me sign everything away. More than twenty years of my life, gone."

Merlin's fists clenched angrily, "That bastard!"

"Please calm down, Merlin," Gaius said weakly, "I'm lucky I got away alive. I know too much about Uther, he's only banking on my silence because if he goes down, then I go down with him. Maybe I should go down with him, I deserve it."

"Don't ever say that," Merlin shook his head, "You don't deserve any of this, Gaius. You're the most loyal person I know, the most kind hearted man I've ever met and you do not deserve any of this. You deserve so much better."

"I appreciate that, Merlin, but there's nothing you can do," Gaius replied. When he saw Merlin's angry, determined expression, he quickly added, "Don't you dare think you can do anything about this, Merlin, don't you dare. Uther Pendragon is not a man to be messed with, if he knew you were planning anything, he'd have us both killed, and your mother, and he wouldn't even hesitate. That's the kind of man he is. You can't fight those kind of men face to face."

Merlin sighed, frustrated. "I'm just so angry! That's your _life_, and so what, you made one mistake, out of all those years of loyalty and he just treats you like a piece of shit! It just makes me so mad!"

"Don't let your temper get the better of you," Gaius told his apprentice, "There are always other ways to take your enemies down. Violence is just a short sighted solution to a long sighted problem."

Merlin looked down, the wheels in his brain turning like the integral screws of a train.

"Stop looking like that," Gaius warned him.

"Like what?" Merlin rubbed his eyebrow, stressed.

"Like you're about to do something stupid," Gaius clarified. "I mean it Merlin, Uther's a very dangerous man with unlimited resources, many means and little to no conscience. Do _not_ get mixed up with him."

"I wouldn't do anything to put you, or my mother in danger," Merlin assured his mentor. "I promise," then he added, "Are you going to be okay, in the future? Is Uther going to come after you again?"

"I highly doubt it," Gaius sighed, "He's already got what he wanted from me; my shares and relinquished partnership. Besides, the death of Uther's recently ex business partner just after a mysterious minor heart attack would seem suspicious to anyone with an imaginative brain. He wouldn't risk it. Not yet anyway."

"What about your debt?" Merlin asked, "The workshop? Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Uther paid the ones concerning the business off," Gaius said, "I do have some medical bills backdated that I might have to deal with soon, maybe get a loan, sell my house for a smaller apartment. The workshop should be fine, and yes Merlin, I'd love if you could take over for the time being."

"More than happy too," Merlin smiled weakly. "You probably won't be released for a while, maybe even next week, so I'm gonna swing by your house and pick up some fresh clothes and things, okay?"

"Thank you, Merlin. Don't worry your mother too much, okay?" Gaius added, closing his eyes.

Merlin leaned down and pressed a kiss to his mentor's forehead. He slipped out of the room and leant against the door in the hallway. He sighed shakily, letting out an angry breath as tears threatened to fall from his dark lashes.

His expression tightened and he began to make his way down the hospital hallway, his broad shoulders stiffening. Merlin took out his phone and dialled a number he hadn't used in a while.

"_Hello?" _a gruff voice answered.

"It's Merlin. I might need your help with something."

"_Really? Tell me more."_

Merlin's eyes narrowed, "We've got a dragon to take down."

He was going to make Uther pay for everything he'd done.

**::**

* * *

Merlin stopped at the gift shop in the hospital just before he left. He was wandering around, trying to think of healthy food options considering that Gaius had none in his house. He passed right by the food section and the refrigerator section and had somehow ended up in the cuddly toys section, right next to the helium balloon section.

He frowned, trying to remember what he was even doing in the gift shop, when he stopped at the sight of a beautiful angel before him. She was literally the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. And she almost looked a little familiar. She had long dark wavy tresses, a graceful jawline and pretty petite features that blended in with her symmetrical face.

She was wearing blue jeans, converse shoes and a brown coat, and when he peered closer, he realised that her eyes were red, like she had been crying. He swallowed, wanting to move, to leave, but he found he couldn't. He was just rooted to the spot, staring at the pale angel before him like an idiot. She looked so familiar. Where had he seen her before?

She was too preoccupied with glancing between the 'Get Well Soon' teddies, which worked in his favour, when her phone rang. She fished around for it in her bag and answered with a prompt, "I'm busy."

Merlin sauntered over to the balloon section, still lingering near the English Rose before him.

"I'm at the hospital, Arthur, which is where you should be as well," the girl said with annoyance, her accent definitely Irish. "Well, I don't care, how can you be so heartless? This is so like you, Arthur, you've never been there for anyone but yourself. It's amazing you can handle being so self absorbed all the time. Oh don't try that one with me, blondie. Whatever. No, I don't want to have dinner with you tonight. Absolutely not," there was a pause and the girl added, "Fine, but I'm not cooking and you can pay for the most expensive drink in the mini bar," she hung up and made a noise of exasperation.

Merlin frowned, internally groaning. It sounded like she was already involved with someone. Not that he'd have much luck with her anyway. He was just a twenty three year old aspiring architect who worked at Gaius' workshop and shared a flat with his childhood best friend Gwen, who was a nurse. Sometimes he could barely even afford the rent. Poor Gwen, having to take on more private patients recently to cover both of their bills.

The dark haired angel shoved her phone into her pocket and reached out to grab a 'Get Well Soon' teddy bear, which accidentally knocked a whole section of cuddly toys off the shelf and onto the floor, right next to him.

"Crap," she whispered, bending down.

Merlin crouched down too, reaching out to help pick up the fallen cuddly toys.

"Oh, you don't have to..." she trailed off when she looked up and into his eyes.

"I don't mind," he smiled, "I like picking up stuffed toys. I actually majored in the retrieval of fallen objects in college. Yeah, I graduated top of my class."

The girl broke out into a heart warming grin, laughing. She pushed her hair behind her ear, blushing slightly. "Oh, really? Is there a particular method?"

She was actually flirting back with him. Her flirting with _him_. The sight of her smile made his heart beat a little faster. She was so beautiful, "Oh yes, there's many methods, my favourite is the very simple but impressive juggle beforehand," he picked up three small cuddly toys and began to juggle them slightly.

She laughed again, and Merlin was desperate to keep her laughing, to make sure she never stopped laughing. Her laughter was like being high, like an adrenaline rush, it made his stomach muscles knot and butterflies erupt.

"Well I can see why you graduated the top of your class," she picked up the rest of the cuddly toys and stood up, Merlin moving up with her. She added, "I'm very impressed by your degree in the retrieval of fallen objects. Money well spent."

Merlin placed the toys back on the shelf and shrugged modestly, "Well, that's what they told me. Do you need help picking a toy? I also minored in—"

"Toy picking?" she interrupted, "Wow, that's an intensive degree you've got there," she reached out and picked up an elephant toy, "What's your professional opinion about this one?"

"I'm sure whoever's receiving it will be happy to know that you thought about them," Merlin replied with a glint in his eye.

The girl's mischievous smile faltered slightly and she glanced down, saddened, "Yeah. I hope so," she looked into his eyes; blue against green, and he almost felt a little bit breathless. On the one hand, he should feel guilty that he was flirting with this bombshell when he should be worrying more about Gaius, but on the other hand, her entire presence was intoxicating. She must have men falling over themselves to get her attention all the time.

"Well, I have to go," she took a step backwards suddenly, holding the elephant toy up, "Thank you though."

Merlin smiled, holding her gaze as long he could before she turned and headed to the check out till. He hesitated for a moment, desperate to get her number.

Just then, his phone went off and he answered it quickly, "Hello?"

"_Hey Merlin, I just got off my shift, I got your note. Do you need me to come to the hospital?"_

It was Gwen, Merlin's oldest friend and roommate.

"He's gonna be fine," Merlin replied, "I'm going to his place right now to grab some of his things, you should try and get some rest before you come up. Don't want you falling asleep at the wheel. We can visit him later."

"_Okay. That's great news—" _yawn _"—Sorry, I haven't slept in over forty eight hours. Miss Chatswin refused to get her bloods taken, she practically scratched my eyes out. Listen, just wake me later and we'll visit Gaius together, okay?"_

"That's great," Merlin agreed, "Talk to you later," he hung up and glanced back around the gift shop. The beautiful angel was already gone. He tried not to feel too disappointed. He would probably never see her again anyway.

Besides, he had bigger fish to fry.


	3. The Red Wine Mood

**A/N:** Thank you for everyone who reviewed and alerted, it made my day! Please let me know what you think! :)**  
**

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Two**

_The Red Wine Mood  
_

**::**

Morgana knocked tentatively on Gaius' hospital door before opening it and sneaking her head inside. She was holding an elephant toy in one hand and a 'Get Well Soon' balloon in the other. Gaius blinked his eyes open, before Morgana walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She seemed so timid, and it was the first time in a long while that Gaius had seen Uther's adopted daughter looking so vulnerable. Morgana le Fay was usually a woman of many means and she was inept at hiding her true emotions, having lived with Uther from the age of ten.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she put the toy and balloon on the table at the end of his bed and came closer to him, taking his hand. Morgana had to keep her tears in; the sight of her old family friend so fragile was quite unnerving. Gaius had practically half-raised Morgana since she came to stay with Uther and Arthur, always baby-sitting whenever Uther did meetings or pitches abroad and spending almost every holiday with her and her step-brother.

"Oh don't cry for me," Gaius squeezed her hand back, "I'm going to be just fine, don't you worry. I specifically asked them not to contact you or Arthur."

"I ran into Sheila at reception, she told me," Morgana explained, "I'm sorry I didn't know sooner. Uther has meetings all day and he dragged Arthur to them as well, otherwise they would both be here. Uther said he was sending over some baskets. You know how he is with his baskets."

Gaius looked away, saddened. Then he sighed and said, "You're too kind, Morgana, but you didn't have to come here, I'm fine. Just a minor heart attack brought on by stress. Speaking of that, I'll be withdrawing from work for a while. Doctor's orders, it's best for my health. I won't be around the office anymore."

Morgana frowned, "Don't worry about that, I'm sure Uther won't mind, he'll completely understand. You should take all the time you need, you deserve the rest anyway, you've worked harder than anyone at that damn company, including Uther," she laughed lightly, "Sheila said they found you on the roof top, what were you doing up there? Not planning to jump, I hope."

Gaius coughed a little, "Definitely not. I just wanted to get some air, you know, an old man like me, wanting some fresh air but being too lazy to leave the hotel for it. Not a good decision. Next time I'll know better."

"Well, I'll do whatever you need," Morgana offered, "I can take on some responsibilities with your workshop. I can keep you up-to-date with any business decisions being made if you want, I can do your laundry—"

"Morgana, dear, that's really not necessary," Gaius interrupted her softly, "I've already got someone looking after the workshop and everything that needs taken care of. As for the business decisions, I've been thinking about it for a while, but I'm going to leave the company. I'm going to relinquish my partnership."

Morgana's eyes widened, "But Gaius, that's your life. Uther will understand if you need time before you return. You can't give up your partnership, Uther needs your creativity, you're the most experienced architect in London, everybody wants to attend your workshops, you shouldn't make such rash decisions. At least think about it."

"I have, child," he patted her hand, "I'm nearly eighty two, Morgana. It's time for me to retire. I've got my workshop and that's enough for me. That's all I can handle right now. I hope you understand, dear."

"Of course," Morgana sighed softly, "I'm just trying to look out for you, but if that's what you really want then I'm not going to give you a hard time for it. We'll still make time to see each other, though?"

"Just you try and keep me away," Gaius chuckled warmly.

Morgana smiled at him, remembering all those times when Uther was busy with work and Gaius would sing her back to sleep after one of her nightmares. She couldn't bare the thought of losing the only semblance of a father figure she had. Uther had been more like a strict Head Teacher the rest of her childhood. After her father's tragic car crash and her mother's disappearance shortly after his death, Uther had adopted her into his family – rather forcefully – and was not one of those sensitive emotional people. He was all business, all the time.

"You should get back to the hotel," Gaius murmured suddenly.

"I wish I could stay," Morgana admitted. After receiving a business degree, twenty two year old Morgana had taken the Head Manager job at the Mayfair district in Uther's hotel Camelot. She and Arthur both worked for Uther, attending boring board meetings and pretending to enjoy them. Morgana would rather be writing and Arthur would rather be playing football, but what Uther wanted, Uther got, and he wanted both his protégées under his thumb.

"Do you have any other family coming up later?" Morgana asked, aware that Gaius' sister lived in Australia and he had little to no family left in London.

Gaius nodded, "I expect some friends up later. Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine. I always am."

"I'll check on you tomorrow," Morgana promised, "Please phone me when they release you," she kissed his cheek and hugged him lightly.

"Send everyone my regards," Gaius called out as he watched her leave the room.

**::**

* * *

Morgana walked into her penthouse suite at Camelot, brushing off her brown coat and shrugging out of her shoes. She tugged off her scarf, rolled her dark tresses into a loose bun and wandered into her kitchen. She sighed, rubbing her tired eyes and yawning. She hardly slept in general, but there had been a particular restlessness about her sleep last night. It was broken and eventually she woke at five in the morning, unable to return to the land of dreamers. Well, not that she ever dreamt really. She had nightmares. Night terrors; the Doctors called it. Started when her father died and her mother disappeared, followed by insomnia and anaemia. She was a walking health poster.

It was only six in the evening but Morgana pulled out a bottle of opened red wine from her fridge and poured herself an exceptionally large glass. She hadn't even earned it; she'd fobbed off her work for the day on the assistant managers; Elena and Vivian but she didn't even care. She still couldn't help but worry about her old friend Gaius and Uther's callousness about his heart attack earlier really struck her as odd. Uther was never a sentimental man, sure, but he wasn't completely unfeeling. He had recently started seeing a woman called Catrina Tregor, who was just as business savvy; owning her own chain of classy salons.

The only good thing about Morgana's day was the cute guy she'd practically attacked with cuddly toys in the gift shop of the hospital. Hospital gift shops weren't exactly the place for pick ups but she had noticed him instantly; pale skin contrasting with his raven coloured hair and blue sparkling eyes. How could anybody not notice him? His broad shoulders and tall frame, the thinness of him that was strangely attractive, the sharp intake of his cheekbones, the fullness of his lips. He was unconventionally handsome and that's exactly why Morgana liked him. She was never one for conventions.

She was halfway through her second glass of red wine, mulling it over as she stared out of her kitchen window, admiring the dimly lit view when a noise from her hallway startled her. She'd almost spilled her glass of red wine; her heart beat hammering so fast. More noises, louder this time. _Someone_ was in her _apartment_. She put down her glass of wine and reached for the kitchen broom as if it were as loaded and dangerous as a nine millimeter gun. She raised it in her hands and slowly crept to the kitchen doorway, ready to attack whoever was in the hallway.

She was almost there, so close, just about to discover who—

"Oh, I didn't know you were home," Arthur came bounding round the corner.

Morgana shrieked, about to hit him with the broom. She gaped and stumbled backwards, pressing her hand to her chest. "Arthur!" she screamed, "What are you doing in my apartment?"

"Making dinner, like you told me to," Arthur said like it should have been obvious. As if the universe wanted to back him up, the oven timer pinged right on cue.

"I could have killed you," Morgana lowered the broom in her hands.

"Right, with the broom," Arthur laughed, moving to the oven to check on the salmon fish he'd bought and cooked. "Hey, how's Gaius?"

"Minor heart attack, he'll make a speedy recovery," Morgana went back to gulping down her red wine, "He's... quitting the business, relinquishing his ownership rights, all his shares."

Arthur looked round, his eyes wide, "_What_? He can't do that, can he?"

"He says he wants to," Morgana shrugged, "Although I don't know... there was something off about him today. Like he wanted to tell me something, but he never did."

"Morgana, the man just had a heart attack," Arthur turned to face his step-sister, "He's hardly going to be jumping for the hills."

"You're right, I'm reading into it," she shook her head, "How the board meetings go for Albion? Did we get the investors we need?"

"It's not like my father _needs_ investors," Arthur pointed out, "But yes, they were more than eager to help build their portfolio."

"Good, we can get it up and running for next month," Morgana yawned, "Maybe even a Christmas opening. Casinos have something about festivity about them, maybe it's the bright lights, the commercialism, the wasting of money—"

"The drunken waiters," Arthur added, grinning.

Morgana giggled suddenly, remembering the last Christmas Pendragon party. Arthur had gotten himself into a drinking competition with one of the waiters and Arthur lost, but the waiter didn't really win either. He got fired when he vomited in Uther's most prized fertility vase from Africa. That was a fun night.

"I swear he had a crush on you," Morgana said, taking a seat at her dining table.

"He should do, I'm clearly gorgeous," Arthur said mockingly as he served the salmon onto separate plates at the table. He got a beer from Morgana's fridge, and settled down next to her.

"I better not get food poisoning like last time," Morgana warned him.

"That was not me," Arthur groaned, "How many times? I told father that fish was off, but he insisted on me cooking it because it was my first catch."

"That didn't mean you had to make me eat it as well," Morgana snapped, but there was no real annoyance in her tone. She took her first bite of the salmon and her eyes lit up, surprised. "That's actually pretty good, Arthur."

"See? I'm a fantastic chef," Arthur shovelled the fish inside his mouth. He said, "Oh you owe me fifty quid by the way!"

"Pray tell," she raised an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Mithian, the receptionist downstairs?" Arthur replied, "Lesbian. I asked her out and she turned me down."

Morgana frowned, "Did she specifically state she was a lesbian or are you just wildly assuming that because she didn't find you attractive?"

"I chose to read between the lines," Arthur shrugged.

Morgana burst out laughing, "You are so full of shit, Arthur Pendragon. There is absolutely no way you're getting a penny of my money for that. In fact, find _me_ a reasonable and charming guy and I'll pay you for that."

"I'm _not_ going there again. You've walked all over the guys I've set you up with in the past," Arthur pulled a face.

Morgana gasped, "That's not true!"

Arthur nodded repeatedly, "Yes it is! Let's see; Percy, you hooked up with him and then didn't call him back after he wrote a fourteen verse love poem and then emailed it to you. And _me_."

Morgana winced, "Too clingy."

"Leon," Arthur continued, "You only went out with him so you could score backstage passes to his mother's fashion show. When he declared his love for you, you told Uther that he was your stalker and to this day, Leon still isn't allowed to be within twenty yards of you."

"Too sensitive," Morgana titled her head.

"What about Owain?" Arthur added, "He was this close to being ordained into the Catholic Priesthood and you completely ruined him."

"That one wasn't entirely my fault," Morgana pointed at Arthur, "He was _obsessed_ with weird nun fetishes—"

Arthur grimaced, cutting her off, "And last but definitely not least, we should never forget about Pellinore."

Morgana took a large gulp of red wine, wincing at the memory of that horrible month she'd dated Pellinore. "How was I supposed to know he was a Ugandan war criminal who committed genocide on his entire village? I'm not taking the blame for Pellinore."

"He stole twenty grand from your personal account," Arthur pointed out, "Uther was livid. He went all macho-man about it and said he was going to 'take care of it' – whatever that meant."

Morgana raised her eyebrows, "Yeah, weird. We never really heard about him again, though. Do you remember anything..."

Arthur shook his head, frowning, "Not that I can remember. Maybe Uther pulled some strings and got him sent back to Uganda to face his crimes."

Morgana bit her lip, frowning as well. She and Arthur generally had the same wavelength of thought. They were connected in a way that only siblings could be. Just one look and they could tell exactly what the other was thinking. And when they looked at each other, they were absolutely positive that Uther had gone after Pellinore in the most severe way possible. He wasn't in Uganda, he was dead.

Arthur cleared his throat and took a swig of his beer, "Anyway," he began, "You're such a commitment phobe, I'm not setting you up with anymore of my friends. You destroy them."

"_Please_," Morgana rolled her eyes, "This from the King of commitment phobes!"

"That's not true," Arthur replied, his mouth full of fish.

"Let's see," she began snarkily, "Let's start with Elena, the assistant manager that you can't even look in the eye anymore. From what I heard, you managed to collect all the ribbon prizes in the competition if you know what I mean but when she asked you to meet her parents, you choked and faked your way out of it by claiming you had diarrhoea, and then you avoided her for the rest of the year. Sound familiar?"

"I was highly contagious," Arthur shrugged, "I was only looking out for her health."

"Sure," Morgana drawled mockingly, "What about Vivian then? The _other_ assistant manager you also can't look in the eyes. Remember her, the pretty young blonde that moonlights as a stripper? Did you or did you not mistake her for a prostitute by offering to _pay_ her after you'd retrieved the honey from her pot?"

"That was a genuine mistake," Arthur cried, "What's the difference between strippers and hookers anyway? Same ball park, I was only being courteous for her services. And hey, in my defence, it was only a testament to how good she was in bed, which she _was_, by the way. And I offered her a lot of money. It's not my fault her pride can't lower for three thousand pounds."

"Oh you charmer," Morgana mocked him. "Let's not forget Sophia, your longest relationship, lasting a total of five months. She was an absolute nightmare, a complete and total brat, and the only reason you kept going back to her was because Uther made you, to keep her father happy while he and Uther made some last minute investment deals. Am I wrong?"

Arthur grumbled, "Maybe not... but she was a very nice girl, deep down. Deep, deep, down. Way deep down in that cold, ungrateful, spiteful little heart of hers," he shivered in disgust, "Urgh, she was a horrible person. Truly, truly awful."

Morgana murmured in agreement. She'd had so many fights with that bitch. "However, none of them – or you, in fact – was as bad as your very first girlfriend; Lamia. Remember her? Nobody even knew what her first name was because she made everybody call her by her surname. She was a complete psycho."

Arthur nodded, eyes wide, "I know, I'm the one she became obsessed with, and devoted a shrine to. I once woke up during the night and she was cutting a bit of my hair off, for her 'collection', how was I supposed to know she was a weirdo? I was just a horny sixteen year old, I just wanted to get laid. I didn't want to babysit some obsessive whack job."

"And now you're trying to get it on with Mithian, the receptionist," Morgana concluded, "Another one of Camelot's staff. Honestly, can't you go meet some new girls at the local pub or something? Uther doesn't like employer/employee interpersonal relations. He dedicated a whole lecture to it last year."

"I know she likes me," Arthur shook his head, "I just _know_ it. There's obviously something holding her back."

"Your reputation?" Morgana cocked an eyebrow.

"Ha ha," Arthur deadpanned. Then he admitted, "Maybe. I don't know. I thought she liked me last week, she was really into me and talking to me and this week... It's like, cold shoulder."

"Gossip spreads," Morgana shrugged, "Just ask Elena and Vivian."

"Maybe I should talk to them... apologise," Arthur said.

"Good idea," Morgana poured herself another glass of wine.

"Go easy, sis," Arthur frowned, "Why are you drinking so much anyway?"

"You know when you think you have everything together?" Morgana replied, "You think... I have a degree, I have a job, I have money, I have friends, and somewhat of a social life... Somewhat of a good life?"

Arthur nodded.

"Well, one day you just wake up and realise that there's still a part of you missing, even with everything that anybody could ever possibly want," Morgana said, "And you just realise, it's not enough. So you start to worry, maybe it won't ever be enough. Maybe you'll never find what you're missing, maybe you'll always feel... incomplete."

Arthur stared at Morgana, feeling a sense of sadness.

"And then with Gaius' health scare recently," she whispered, "I don't know. Sometimes I just feel like drinking, a lot. So I do."

Arthur blinked, glancing down at his bottle of beer. "Well," he shrugged, "Might as well drink while we're young."

"Ain't that the gospel truth," she clinked her glass against his beer bottle.


	4. The Round Table

**A/N: **Sorry for the lack of Mergana interaction again in this one but I had to add in a few plot essentials that are crucial later on. I promise Mergana in the next chapter! Please review! :)**  
**

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Three**

_The Round Table_

**::**

Merlin was standing by the window of Gaius' hospital room, staring out as the rain continued to pour. He'd returned later that night with some of Gaius' belongings – clothes, underwear, a toothbrush, books, puzzles – with Gwen, who had finished her shift at the Avalon Care Centre; a nursing home where the old, ill and rich with no families and an inability to look after themselves went to stay. Gwen took on some other private clients in the forms of house calls, which meant she could be called away at any given moment, which is why she'd developed bags under her eyes and a permanent yawn.

Merlin glanced round; Gwen was sitting beside Gaius who were both doing the same cross word puzzle together. He sighed sharply, not wanting to imagine what could have happened if Gaius had died. Merlin knew that Gaius' ex business partner was nothing short of friendly, but to completely screw over his best friend, put his life in jeopardy, force him out of the business and leave him with nothing... That was it. Uther had crossed one too many lines; this time it was personal.

"Stop looking so glum, Merlin," Gaius said suddenly.

"I'm not looking glum," Merlin forced a smile onto his face, "This is how I generally look. This is my... usual glum looking face," he stretched and yawned, rubbing the back of his head. "How are you feeling? Not pestering that nice Doctor for a release date, I hope," he slumped onto the other empty bedside chair.

Gwen laughed, "I knew Gaius would be flirting with those hospital Doctors! You better be careful, unless you want another heart attack," she teased gently and Merlin couldn't help but laugh too. He'd known Gwen and her brother Eylan since they were both kids, growing up on the same neighbourhood. Gwen's father Tom and Merlin's mother Hunith made sure they still saw each other growing up, even after Hunith moved out of Greater London.

When Merlin turned eighteen, he went to college with the help of Gaius and moved into a flat with Gwen. Eylan got into a bit of bother with some gangs around London and disappeared a few years ago. Merlin couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to Eylan, he wasn't even sure Gwen knew where her brother was either.

"You know me, on my best behaviour all the time," Gaius replied, "But I'm fit enough to be released as soon as tomorrow. It's these Doctors and all these tests and check ups they want to run. It's a waste of my money."

Merlin rolled his eyes playfully, "Gaius, you are in no way fit enough to be released tomorrow! You better save those jokes in case you injure yourself any further."

Gaius waved him off dismissively and turned back to his cross word puzzle.

Merlin's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out; seeing a text message. It read; _NEARLY HAVE EVERYTHING IN ORDER. R U READY?_

Merlin glanced up to Gwen and Gaius, pausing. He was ready, he knew he was. He turned back to his phone and typed back; _YES. TIME AND PLACE?_

It was only a moment before he got a reply; _TO__MORO AT__ 8. THE EALDOR._

Merlin put his phone away, deep in thought. The Ealdor was a small Irish pub that Merlin had spent most of his university years in, getting drunk with Gwen and his friends when he should have been doing work. He rubbed his eyes, frowning when he noticed a small cuddly elephant toy on the table; the same toy the girl he'd met in the gift shop earlier had picked for whoever she was visiting.

"Merlin," Gwen whispered, and when Merlin looked up, he realised that Gaius had drifted off to sleep.

He gestured to the door and they collected their things, quietly slipping out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked as they walked down the hallway. "You look awful."

"I'm fine," Merlin lied. He wasn't fine. He was exhausted and angry.

"Tell me the truth," Gwen demanded suddenly, turning him around to face her.

Merlin looked down at his best friend with a wary expression. Why did he honestly think that he could lie to Gwen? She knew him better than anybody.

"If I tell you the truth, you have to promise not to react in any way," Merlin replied lowly, "Or try and talk me out of it."

Gwen stared, frowning, but she eventually nodded in agreement. "Okay. Tell me everything."

Merlin slung his arm over Gwen's shoulder and they started walking again. "What do you know of Uther Pendragon?"

**::**

* * *

Morgana tossed and turned in her bed that night. Honestly, she wished she'd never drank that whole bottle of red wine. Arthur got so drunk that he threw up in her toilet and passed out on her couch. It felt like their university days again, getting drunk and trying to wake up not feeling like a big red bus had hit them.

She had managed to keep her alcohol – and fish – down so far but there was another kind of restlessness about that night, again. It was always the same nightmare. She was younger, a little girl and she was standing in the hallway of Uther's London apartment. There were loud voices, screams, and the sound of something heavy falling. Red. There was so much _red_. Where was the red coming from?

"_Morgana, what are you doing up?"_ the angry voice demanded to know in her dream. Always the same voice, the same tone, the same person. Who was that?

Another voice this time. Gentler. _"Morgana, Morgana, no, don't look, sweetheart. Come away from there, Morgana! Come on, don't cry, everything's going to be fine."  
_

So much red, so much red, so much red, so much—

Morgana jerked awake, gasping. She was sweating and the sheets had become entangled in her limbs. She sat up, clutching her legs to her chest. She always felt so terrified after her nightmare, so fragile. She glanced to the empty side of her bed and suddenly wished that she were a little girl again so she could sleep in beside her parents.

"Morgana?" Arthur's sleepy voice called from the hallway. He honestly still sounded drunk.

"What is it?" she struggled to sound normal, still shaking.

"You had another one," it wasn't even a question, Arthur just knew. He always used to hear Morgana's night terrors when they both lived in Uther's London apartment together.

She sighed, leaning against her headboard. Her sleeping medication wasn't working anymore, she was still being plagued by something sinister, something that threatened the very essence of her sanity. Something that felt so _real_.

"You want me to—to make you some tea?" Arthur asked.

"You don't even know how to use the kettle," she snorted and suddenly she felt like her old self again.

Arthur's voice of indignation seeped through the door, "I do _so_ know how to use a kettle."

"Yeah right," Morgana laughed again and Arthur opened her bedroom door and walked inside, looking annoyed.

"Is this what I get for trying to help you?" Arthur snapped. He slumped down on the empty side of her bed and lay backwards, "You're so ungrateful."

"This coming from the King of Ungrateful," Morgana looked at him pointedly. She paused for a second and then asked seriously, "Arthur... do you think Uther's a good person?"

Arthur opened his eyes, "Define _good person_."

"You know, like a moral person," she added. "Do you think he has morals? Do you think he has... _lines_?"

"Honestly?" he placed an arm behind his head and closed his eyes again, "I don't know. I used to think he was this great warrior when I was a kid, but sometimes he'll say something, or do something... And all I can see is the ruthless business side of him. It's like, sometimes, that's the only side he ever shows anyone. But that can't be true. I've seen him with Catrina. He lights up around her, he smiles, he buys her... _flowers_," he made a face of disgust.

Morgana didn't reply, choosing to stay silent.

"Why do you ask?" Arthur asked.

"I honestly don't know," she replied truthfully. "You ever feel like there's something you just _know_ you're forgetting? And no matter how hard you try to remember, you just can't?"

Arthur looked at his sister with a skeptical look, "No. Never."

Morgana looked down at her hands, frowning. Was she really the only person in the world that felt like that?

"Stop fretting, Morgana," Arthur turned over on his side, yawning, "You'll get wrinkles."

"You'd know all about that," she muttered.

"Oi!" Arthur reached out and whacked her in the face with a lone pillow.

Morgana shoved the pillow away from her face and a cold realisation hit her as her stomach churned violently. "Oh no!" she scrambled from her bed and ran like her life depended on it for her bathroom. She didn't want to be sick anywhere else in her apartment; she hated cleaning vomit.

"I should probably mention," Arthur called after her. "I—"

"Arthur!" Morgana's shrill voice screamed from the bathroom.

"—forgot to flush," he finished.

**::**

* * *

**The Next Night**

The next day could have been a busy one for Merlin, had he not chosen to close Gaius' workshop for the day. Gaius' workshop held a range of architect and graphic courses, taught mostly by himself and sometimes by Merlin. It was really the only income Gaius had left and Merlin hoped his mentor wouldn't have to bump up the course prices. Some kids from the Greater London area couldn't afford the current fees as it were.

He left his apartment just before eight, and began to make his journey to The Ealdor. It was only a fifteen minute walk away and after spilling everything to Gwen yesterday, she had decided that she was going to try and get out of her shift early so she could swing by the old Irish pub as well. Merlin wasn't thrilled that she wanted to be involved – the risk was immense and the danger was great – but Gaius meant a lot to Gwen too and she wanted to help him.

Merlin walked into the pub, turning the collar up on his black coat. He sifted through the usual clients; the old drunken men with problems, the young drunken men with problems, the old drunken women with problems. Basically, everyone had drunken problems when they went to The Ealdor. They got drunk and eventually everyone – even those who weren't Irish – ended up sounding Irish and speaking the lingo. There were many jolly nights in the pub that Merlin would treasure – and never remember – for the rest of his life.

When he reached the bar, he leaned forwards and said to the bartender, "Scotch, neat."

Merlin didn't even get another moment alone before the seat next to him was filled by a tall rough-looking man with a thick head of dark hair and three day old stubble. Merlin turned to look at him and smiled.

"Gwaine," Merlin said before he downed the glass of scotch in front of him.

"Merlin," Gwaine replied, "Everything's set up in the basement."

Merlin looked at his old friend and gestured with his hand, "Lead the way."

Gwaine got up from his chair and Merlin followed him through the crowd towards the door at the end of the pub. They went through the door, down a set of stairs to the basement, where Gwaine had set up a round poker table, a whiteboard next to it and a hibernated projector machine aimed at the wall. The basement was empty, except for them.

"I have to admit, I thought I'd never hear from you again," Gwaine confessed suddenly.

Merlin shrugged lightly. In his early teenage years, Merlin had befriended Gwaine through Eylan and they had all gotten themselves into a bit of bother with the law... and other people around London. Gwaine was a grifter, a con man, a thief, a trickster and he had taught Merlin the very best of what he knew. Merlin's grifter name was Emrys, the welsh version of his last name. It was a little private joke between Gwaine and himself that he hadn't used in years. As soon as Gaius had come into Merlin's life however, Merlin stopped his nasty con tricks and avoided Gwaine altogether.

"Uther went too far this time," Merlin said, taking a seat at the round table, "He needs to be taught a lesson, he needs to be taken down, but it needs to be sneaky and undercover, otherwise Uther will know it had something to do with Gaius and go after him again. Only this time he'll put him in the ground."

"I'm flattered you came to me with this problem," Gwaine took a seat across from Merlin, "Considering I only had a day to prepare, I'd say I haven't lost my skills at all. Look, are you sure you want to do this? Uther Pendragon's a very serious man, as you know. If he found out we had something to do with this, he'd kill us, and our families and anyone who ever talked to our families. That's how ruthless this guy is."

"Trust me, I know how ruthless he is," Merlin almost snapped angrily, "I know how vicious he is. He stole all of Gaius' livelihood and then almost killed him. He deserves everything he's going to get. I want him ruined. I want him to know exactly how it feels to lose everything in his life. I'm completely sure. I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"Then I think my plan is perfect," Gwaine smirked.

"Lay it on me," Merlin grabbed the bottle of tequila from the centre of the table.

"Patience," Gwaine replied, "I'll explain in detail when the others get here."

"Others?" Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't actually think we could rob Uther Pendragon with just two guys, did you?" Gwaine chuckled, "When I got your call yesterday, I rounded up some people. The best people I know actually. We'll get the job done."

"Can 'your people' be trusted?" Merlin took a swig of tequila. Once upon a time, Merlin had actually been one of Gwaine's 'people' and he'd even met some of Gwaine's old acquaintances from the trade. They weren't overly horrid people, but they weren't trustful either.

Gwaine stood up, stretching, "Of course they can. You want a line up? Alright, first we got Will, you might have met him a couple of years ago actually. He's your all rounder really, with a specialty for confidence tricks and being able to talk anything up. He knows London like the back of his hand and he's got an ear in every underground illegal poker room there is. People like to talk there, you know what I mean? That'll come in handy when we need intel."

Merlin remembered Will vaguely. They'd met once or twice before and Will seemed like a friendly guy. Well, they all seemed like friendly guys at first.

"Next we got Nimueh," Gwaine continued, and his eyes seemed to sparkle just a little bit more. "She's a hussy, a sexy swindler, the Bonnie to my Clyde. She's one of the best women in this industry. She got rich three years back peddling old Japanese men. Faked her death to escape, now she can't ever go back to Japan, not that she's complaining. Look out for her, she likes to play games."

Merlin took another swig of tequila.

"Then there's Lancelot. His family came from virtually nothing but that didn't stop him. He got a scholarship into the most prestigious London university there is. He's _that_ smart. Think of Einstein and then _add_ to that. He can break into anybody's computer; home, work or personal. He can hack into your webcam without you even knowing. Sometimes, he just sits and watches people on the London streets cam. He's got a thumb in every security system around the city and he knows exactly how to get in and out without being caught. But don't be fooled by his extracurriculars. He's actually a gentleman."

"There's a first," Merlin smirked.

Gwaine smirked back, "Let's not forget Gilli. That guy's an all rounder but he has a photographic memory. He just has to view something once and bam, it's locked into his brain forever. He just got released on parole but he's very professional."

"Why was he on parole?" Merlin asked.

"You know Bayard's painting that went missing last month?" Gwaine replied.

Merlin nodded. Bayard was the biggest art collector in London. He owned more than five Van Gogh's and six Picasso's. "He robbed him?"

"He was found inside the museum when the alarm went off," Gwaine said, "But the painting was gone and they never found it. Gilli went to jail for breaking and entering, but not theft. He got eight months, only served six. Painting's still missing, so they say. If Gilli has it, he ain't talking and trust me, the cops have tried."

"Impressive," Merlin murmured.

"And last but not least, Edwin Muirden," Gwaine grabbed the tequila bottle from Merlin and took a swig of it for himself. "He's the brain. He's not super smart per say, just really logical, able to view all the angles of every single situation. Able to counteract and plan for every possible circumstance and outcome. Some people think he's obsessive, but he's really just meticulous."

"What are you?" Merlin clasped his hands together.

"Me?" Gwaine quirked his head, "I'm the brawn, the doer, the mover. The grifter. That's me."

The door to the basement suddenly opened and Merlin looked up in time to see people walking down the stairs. The first one he instantly recognised was Will, who came striding in with a certain air of confidence. A woman in her mid twenties with dark hair and a mischievous smile entered after him and Merlin knew immediately that she must be Nimueh.

Three guys remained unknown; one in his thirties with blonde hair, one closer to Merlin's age with brown hair and a tall man with black hair and a tanned complexion.

"Merlin, this is Edwin, Gilli and Lancelot. I'm sure you already remember Will," Gwaine said.

"Don't I get an introduction?" Nimueh smirked devilishly.

"Oh you scarlett woman," Gwaine smirked back, "You don't need no introduction."

They all took a seat at the round table.

"Sorry, I'm late," Gwen's hushed voice suddenly entered the basement as she came bounding down the stairs.

"I don't remember adding you to my list," Gwaine muttered.

"She's with me," Merlin said, "She's fine."

"Very well," Gwaine nodded back, "Everyone get comfortable. This could take a while."

Gwen took a seat beside Merlin, her red cheeks flustered from rushing back from her shift.

"Okay," Gwaine clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "Time for business. I assume we know why we're all here."

"To hustle Uther Pendragon," Will replied.

"To destroy him," Merlin added.

"Ladies and gentleman," Gwaine walked over to the projector machine, "Here's where it gets complicated."


	5. The Long Haul

**A/N: **The second Mergana interaction since I started this, is that bad?! Anyway, let me know what you think!

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Four**

_The Long Haul_

**::**

"The Long Con," Gwaine declared, looking at Merlin, Gwen, Lancelot, Will, Gilli, Edwin and Nimueh around the table, "Typically, Long Cons last between a month to a year. Ours is going to involve Uther Pendragon, the head, owner, founder and CEO of Pendragon Industries; a billion dollar empire comprising of his chain of Camelot hotels around the world, several high roller investments, intensive amount of stock value and his recently new chain of casino and hotels called Albion. Not to mention the amount of backdoor boardroom deals he's made in his time."

"How long is this one going to be?" Gilli asked, "I'm still on parole remember."

"A month, tops. Uther's opening the very first Albion next month, across the city," Gwaine replied, "We're going to hit it. We're going to take it down."

Will raised his eyebrows up as everyone else reacted in their own way.

Lancelot asked, "What do you mean by 'take it down' exactly?"

"The Casino in the Albion will be called the Crystal Cave," Gwaine began to click through the projector machine and the clip being reflected on the back wall of the basement changed from a picture of Uther Pendragon to a set of building blue prints. He continued, "The Albion's almost finished, so is the Crystal Cave. See right here? That's a high security vault right under the casino, on the lower base."

"So we're planning to attack the vault under the Casino?" Nimueh's eyes narrowed, "Why? What's in there?"

"The Crystal of Neahtid," Gwaine clicked the button on the projector again and the clip changed on the wall to a picture of a long white crystal stone. "The _most_ expensive crystal in the world. Originally found in the Himalayas a century or so ago, it rested securely in a French museum until about thirty years ago, someone stole it. It passed through rich backdoor deals for years, until Uther got his hands on it a while back. He's paranoid someone will take it and the most secure place he knows is in his newest casino. Rumour was he planted it there several weeks ago."

"Where's your intel coming from?" Merlin asked.

"Me," Edwin spoke up, "I know some people on the black market who like to talk. When Gwaine called me yesterday, I did my research."

"You don't waste any time," Nimueh agreed.

"Well we only have a month to pull this off," Gwaine said, "We need to know everything about everyone in that company. Pulling the hit on the opening night gives us a slight advantage, because everyone is going to be so busy, hopefully the people who matter will slip up and make a mistake. It won't matter if they don't, but you know what they say. Every little counts."

"How do you propose we break into the most secure place that Uther knows?" Gwen asked and the pessimism in her voice was not unmissable.

"It won't be easy," Gwaine agreed, "But we're a talented bunch and with a lot of pre planning, it should work, as long as _everyone_ sticks to the plan. The journey to the vault is one of the most difficult things. It stars at the lobby floor, moving to the elevators that can only go to the lower base if they receive a fingerprint from one of the high security clearance employees, which yes, is already on file. From there, the place will be littered by security cameras and guards doing a floor sweep. The journey from the lower base to the vault will take ten minutes, from which the outside of the vault is guarded by armed men."

"Fantastic," Will muttered.

"Now, once we move through the lobby, find a way into the elevator that won't move, avoid any floor sweeps, creep past security cameras and neutralise the armed guards, our next problem is getting into the vault," Gwaine ignored Will's comment and continued, "The vault is buried twenty feet underground with four feet thick walls of aluminium metal reinforced by five hundred tons of steel, and an elaborate voice recognition system – of Uther's voice of course – with a mysterious combination that only the ruthless Pendragon knows. Not to mention the intricate lock system from the inside."

"Right," Lancelot pulled at his jumper anxiously, "Not much then."

"It seems impossible," Gwen widened her eyes.

"I like impossible," Gwaine grinned widely.

"Say we do this," Gilli started, "Say we actually pull all of this off, what the hell are we going to do with the crystal of whatever it's called? Do you really know anyone on the black market stupid enough to buy it? They'll know that Uther will want it back."

"Leave that to me," Edwin replied, "I know exactly what kind of man would want to piss Uther off."

"What's the take?" Will asked.

"Two hundred million split nine ways," Gwaine said.

"Holy crap," Will cried.

Lancelot let out a nervous breath, Gwen licked her lips, and Gilli's eyes widened. Merlin's expression never changed.

"Fuck me," Nimueh breathed, leaning forwards in her chair.

"Happy to oblige," Gwaine smirked back.

"Nine ways?" Edwin asked, "There's only eight of us here."

"I'm doing this for Gaius, he's getting the ninth slice," Merlin clarified, "Uther screwed him over. He needs to know exactly what that feels like," his eyes flickered over to Gwaine, "Two hundred million is great, but Uther blows his nose with that kind of money. Do you even know how much he and his empire is worth? Over sixty billionaire pounds. I want him destroyed."

"This will destroy him," Gwaine assured Merlin, "Do you even how much of an ego that man has? Knowing that a bunch of con men and grifters bested him is going to destroy him. Not to mention what sentimental value the Crystal of Neahtid has for him."

"Explain," Merlin replied.

"Uther bought the Crystal of Neahtid for his late wife Ygraine as a wedding gift," Gwaine said, "He'll be absolutely crushed if he finds that someone has stolen it. It'll kill him. And if you're still not happy with that, then you can plan another attack on him with your slice of the money after the con's done."

"So Uther's the main mark," Nimueh stated, "Who are his closest pawns we can use?"

"Well, his right hand man used to be Gaius," Gwaine changed the picture on the projector machine again to a young thirty something woman, "Now it's... Catrina Tregor, a businesswoman, she owns her own chain of salons. Cosying up to her would be a mistake, she's just as heartless and ruthless as Uther is."

"Who else then?" Will asked, "We _have_ to have a pawn, someone on the inside that one of us can get close to. Otherwise we won't be able to get any of the security codes. It won't work."

"I know," Gwaine agreed, changing the picture on the projector again. This time the picture reflected on the wall was a young handsome blonde man. "Twenty three year old Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther. He went to business school, graduated with the general degree and now he's like Uther's understudy. Uther's been grooming him to take over since the day Arthur could walk."

"I could easily get my teeth into him," Nimueh said suggestively.

"I bet you could," Gwaine laughed and changed the picture on the projector machine.

Merlin froze in his chair, his blood running cold, his heart beat rushing abnormally. The new picture projected on the wall was one of a beautiful angel. The same beautiful angel he'd met in the hospital gift shop yesterday. The graceful girl who'd flirted with him and picked out an elephant toy. Everything suddenly made sense. Now he _knew_ why she was so familiar. Gaius had a picture of her and him together on his office desk at his workshop.

His fists clenched. _Oh god_. The elephant toy she'd picked out was the same one in Gaius' hospital room. She had been visiting Gaius. Of _course_. Merlin remembered how often Gaius used to talk about her – Uther's adopted daughter – with fondness in his voice. According to Gaius, he'd practically raised her since the age of ten. What was her name? He remembered Gaius saying it one time, it was something like—

"Morgana le Fay," Gwaine started, "Twenty two year old business graduate, originally from Ireland, before she and her parents moved here when she was nine. Her father – who worked for Uther – died shortly after her arrival here and her mother disappeared. Uther took her in as his adopted daughter and set her up for a life of riches."

"I'll get close to her," Will volunteered a little too eagerly.

Merlin's stomach twisted. He never wanted anyone else to get hurt, just Uther. Why did they have to drag his adopted daughter into this?

"I hardly think she'd look twice at you," Gwaine told Will, "Look at her, she's a sophisticated lady, not a commoner."

"Ouch," Will glared at him.

"I'll do it," Merlin said, just to shut the other two up. He could do it without actually hurting her, without her ever finding out. He'd make sure it stayed strictly professional.

"And how are you going to work your way into her bed?" Gwaine asked Merlin.

Merlin stiffened. "I don't need to get into her bed at all. I already kind of met her, yesterday, at the gift shop in the hospital, she was picking out a toy for Gaius. They're really close."

Gwen frowned at this but said nothing.

"Alright," Gwaine nodded, "Fine. Morgana is Merlin's mark."

Merlin scowled. She wasn't a mark. Not really.

"Lancelot, since you're the genius with a genius computer, perhaps you could come up with a way for one of us to get into the elevator access," Gwaine added, "Bare in mind that the only employees with clearance like that are managers and above. Nobody below them will have their fingerprint on file. Maybe not even then."

"I'm on it," Lancelot nodded back.

"Until then, we reconvene next week for a progress report," Gwaine concluded, "I want everyone to study the guards working at the Camelot and the ones scheduled to be there opening night for Albion. I want you to know absolutely everything about them."

"This is going to be fun," Nimueh said, her eyes sparkling with joy, "Haven't done a long con in forever."

"Merlin," Gwen murmured, "Are you sure about this?"

Merlin hesitated, aware that nearly everyone was watching him. Finding out that he'd have to get close to Uther's adopted daughter wasn't great but he couldn't go back now. Gaius was depending on him, maybe his old mentor didn't really know it, but he was and Merlin couldn't let him down. Not after everything Gaius had done for Merlin. He was finally going to pay him back for everything he'd done. He had to see this through.

"Of course," Merlin stood up. "I'm sure."

Lancelot licked his lips, wary. He looked at Gwen and asked, "May I buy you a drink?"

Gwen's cheeks coloured, her eyes lighting up, "Sure."

As everyone headed back up to the pub, Merlin lingered behind, staring at the projected image of Morgana on the wall from the projector.

He really was in for the long haul.

**::**

* * *

**The Next Day**

"That was extremely inappropriate, Morgana," Arthur scolded his sister as they walked a busy London street.

Morgana dodged a small old lady with her dog and rolled her eyes. Her brother always had a way of being dramatic. "What?" she shrugged back, "It was a business courtesy! Mr Yang is a very avid fan of football and Uther wanted us to accommodate him while he stayed at Camelot. You want Mr Yang to invest with Uther don't you?"

"Of course," Arthur replied sharply.

"Well get ready to play with the big boys, this is what it takes. Uther said and I quote 'Charm Mr Yang so hard that he forgets about China and wants to move to London' – besides, Mr Yang's security team seemed pretty up for a game. Don't forget we've got Limun's charity gala tonight on floor 6. Formal dress, not optional," Morgana said.

"But that doesn't mean you have to volunteer my skills like I'm some theatre film animal," Arthur snapped. "You know what father would say if he found out I was playing football. He would flay me alive, he doesn't want me doing anything other than business."

"That's only when he thought you were actually going to drop out of university to pursue a football career," Morgana replied, "This is just for fun, charming the money out of an old Chinese man with nothing better to do than hang around you all day. With his name and Uther's money, you could even get yourself into the Wimbledon pitch if you want."

"Don't be ridiculous," Arthur muttered, "Can't play football on the Wimbledon pitch."

"Just admit that you're secretly happy that I found a way for you to do what you really want to do," Morgana said suddenly, "We'd both rather be doing different things, you know it and so do I. The only reason we don't is because of Uther. I mean, you've got your whole life to be all business like. You're only twenty three. Go out and play some football with an old Chinese man for godsake!"

"Fine," Arthur grumbled, but he managed a small smile. "Will you come cheer me on?"

"In hell," Morgana drawled, checking her phone, "I don't do fields, or mud. You know this."

"Of course, how could I forget?" Arthur quipped.

"This is my stop," Morgana stopped abruptly outside her favourite coffee shop. "Look Mr Yang's in a town car as we speak. I booked you in for tea and sandwiches with him at the Venzo. I assume you can work out the rest from there?"

"Charm the money out of him," Arthur quoted her, "Yeah, I can handle it."

"Well, everyone's gay for pay at some point in their life, right?" Morgana shrugged, distracted by her phone again. "Have a safe journey. Don't talk to strangers, unless they're Chinese!"

"I hope you choke on your coffee!" Arthur called over to her as he walked away to hail a taxi.

"Don't forget the lube before trying anything sexually adventurous!" Morgana cried back, waving mockingly. She laughed to herself as she turned around and walked into the coffee shop she had been coming to since before her university years.

When she'd rescheduled her hair appointment for next week by text, she tucked her phone away and made for the queue. When she got to the counter, she ordered her usual; 'tall black coffee with two sugars, whipped cream and a dash of caramel' – it was to die for.

When she opened her purse to pay, the barista told her, "No charge. That man ahead of you already paid yours."

Morgana's hair whipped round, "What man?" she demanded.

"He just left a moment ago," the barista said warily.

"Thank you," Morgana grabbed the coffee to go and sped out of the coffeehouse, looking left and seeing a tall man walking away. He was carrying a cup of coffee from the same shop so she took a chance and ran up to him. "Excuse me, sir? Are you the man who—"

When he turned around, she frowned, recognising him instantly. He was the guy from the hospital gift shop, the one who flirted with her and helped her pick up the shelf of cuddly toys she'd knocked over.

"Hey," he smiled at her.

"Did you pay for my coffee?" she asked, a little taken back. It wasn't like guys didn't hit on her but him buying her coffee after their run in at the hospital the other day was a little too convenient for her liking.

"Guilty as charged," he shrugged back.

Morgana opened her purse, "I don't let strangers buy me drinks. Even coffee. What do I owe you?"

"Well, what if I tell you that my name is Merlin Ambrosius and I'm Gaius' apprentice at his workshop down town. Would that still make me a stranger?"

Morgana paused. _Merlin Ambrosius._ Oh yeah, Gaius had mentioned about him before. Actually, Gaius had talked about him a lot, "Did you know who I was at the gift shop?" she asked.

"Nope. Not until I went into Gaius' workshop yesterday and saw your picture on his desk," Merlin replied, "He loved the elephant by the way."

Morgana put her purse away, still absorbing what seemed like the world's biggest coincidence. "So, you know who I am," she stated.

"Gaius talks about you a lot," Merlin smiled warmly, "He really cares about you."

"Ditto," Morgana managed a smile of her own for the first time, "He's mentioned you as well. I just never pictured you so..."

"What?" he tugged at his ear anxiously, looking almost afraid of her evaluation.

"Tall," she finished with a laugh, "Gaius always talks about you as if you're still a little kid but you are clearly... a grown man," she couldn't help but linger over his frame a little too obviously. Wow, he really was quite breathtaking up close. Something so extraordinary about a seemingly ordinary man.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Merlin said suggestively, letting his own eyes drink her in.

"Take it however you want it," the corners of her lips curved in slightly. She knew she was blushing but she didn't really know why. She was used to flirting with guys, used to dominating the conversation, used to twisting them around her finger, not the other way around. Why were butterflies erupting in her stomach? Why did talking to him in the middle of a busy London street feel so private and secluded?

"Go out with me," he blurted out.

Morgana stared, surprised at the fact that he'd just came right out and said it. "Give me a reason," she said coyly.

"Because you want to," Merlin leaned in slightly, "Because you're interested."

"Am I?" she cocked her eyebrow, "How can you tell?"

"Because your phone's been buzzing for the past two minutes and you haven't broken eye contact with me in three," he said lowly, his voice making her weak in the knees.

Morgana intentionally tore her gaze away from him as she smiled to herself. She _was_ interested in him, she couldn't deny, and it seemed like he was interested in her too. She replied, "Okay. Let's have dinner. What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, eyes sparkling in intrigue.

"There's a charity gala at Camelot tonight on floor 6," Morgana said suddenly, "I'll put your name on the guest list. Black tie event, not optional. It starts at eight. Don't be late."

Merlin chuckled lightly, "A charity gala? You really go all out for a first date."

"This is not a first date," Morgana shook her head, "This is a pre-date. Big event, lots of people. That way if we hate each other it's not going to be that awkward. If this goes well, then you can take me out on a real date."

Merlin smirked, "I honestly don't see myself hating you."

Morgana laughed and the sound thrilled him to the tips of his toes. She looked at him with the most predatory look he'd ever seen. "You have no idea who I am," she whispered, and he involuntarily shivered.

She was already walking away from him before he realised it.

"You can bring some friends if you want... Oh and don't be late," she called over her shoulder, "Thanks for the coffee."

Merlin smiled to himself as he watched her go.

What had he gotten himself into?


	6. The Charity Gala

**A/N: **Love your feedback, it's really analytical! It's a little rare to get consistently detailed reviews like those on here!

Continue letting me know what your lovely and clever minds think?!

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Five**

_The Charity Gala_

**::**

"Ow," Arthur groaned as Morgana threw a bag of ice his way. He put the ice against his cheek and groaned again. He spread out on the couch under him as Morgana stood over him with her arms folded, her hair splayed messily across her shoulders after bending down in the freezer trying to find some semblance of ice. "This is all your fault," he mumbled, "Limun's Charity Gala is in two hours and my face looks like Rocky's punching bag."

"How was I supposed to know that Mr. Yang actually wanted to play rugby instead of football?" Morgana through her arms up in the air. She pulled out her phone, making sure the event planner on floor 6 of the hotel had everything set up. Morgana was supposed to help but after running into Merlin at her favourite coffeehouse, she couldn't stop herself from going shopping and buying a new dress. Not like she really needed it though. She also couldn't stop herself from buying Arthur a new suit either; all he owned were grey Uther-like business suits, not classy black tie clothes.

"You said your Chinese was impeccable," Arthur sighed, rubbing his neck painfully. "I don't care what my father says tonight. I intend to get absolutely smashed in the most unpleasant way possible. I'm talking plant vomiting, rambling, falling over, hiding in coat closets."

"Whatever floats your boat," Morgana picked up the plastic clothes protector bag from her table and held it up for Arthur to see. There was a silk navy blue dress inside, with short sleeves, a high collar, and an elegant flowing bottom that looked like it went all the way to the floor. "What do you think?" she bit her lip. She wasn't one of those girls that spent a lot of time picking her clothes out for other people; she wore what she liked but for the first time since being a teenager, she was actually nervous about impressing a guy.

"It's nice," Arthur said lamely. He never knew what to say when it came to Morgana and fashion, and he found it hard to compliment a person on their appearance when they weren't actually wearing the garment, but he wasn't completely mentally deficient either. He knew she'd just purchased it and that it was a little fancy for his sister's taste. He asked, "Who are you trying to impress?"

Morgana's eyebrows went up in thought, her cheeks colouring. "I met someone, at the coffehouse today," she told Arthur, shrugging, "It's nothing serious, you know, just a little... flirting, but he seems nice. Really nice, with an actual personality. I don't know, I can't explain it, but I think I might really like him."

Arthur looked a little taken aback, "I'm sorry, can you just repeat that? You've met a man that actually pipes _your_ interest? Obviously I have to meet him first before he asks for your hand in marriage. What is he? A celebrity? A famous author? A business owner? Wine dealer? Actor? Singer? A model?"

"He's an architect," Morgana rolled her eyes, "Actually, he's Gaius' apprentice at his workshop. You remember that kid that Gaius was mentoring a couple years ago? Well, that's him. I think he went to university, and now I guess he works with Gaius. And he must be good if Gaius is working with him. I actually met him for the first time in the hospital gift shop a couple of days ago when I was visiting Gaius, he must have been leaving when I was arriving. Such a weird coincidence we'd meet again in my favourite coffee shop."

Arthur frowned, "An architect? That sounds like the most boring job I've ever heard of. What, is he really attractive or something? Does he have nice hands? What's his name?"

"Merlin Ambrosius," Morgana ignored Arthur's ramblings, "And yes. He is very attractive, but that's not it. That's not why I feel drawn to him. I don't know, some people just have a connection without there ever being a real reason."

"Slow down, Morgana, you've only known him a matter of days," Arthur looked at her, "You know Uther won't like you dating anyone until he gets the Pendragon seal of approval."

"I don't give a fuck what Uther thinks," Morgana shot Arthur an incredulous look, "Look, he gets my seal of approval which is all that matters. At least, I think he does, I actually don't know him, which is exactly why I invited him to the Charity Gala tonight, just something casual, that way if we do hate each other, it won't be that awkward. He can just leave with his friends and we never have to see each other again."

"His friends?" Arthur sat up, "Did you also invite the whole cast of Annie Get Your Gun? Morgana, this is a Charity Gala, the tickets are twenty thousand, how else do you think Limun raises funds? You can't just invite every homeless person you see on the street."

"You are so stuck up," Morgana snapped, "And just because he doesn't live in some millionaire pound hotel does not mean that he's homeless, or poor. And so what if he is? I don't care about that. Now shut up and admire my obvious fashion sense," she held up another plastic clothes cover and showed him an expensive black suit and tie.

"For me?" Arthur batted his eyes mockingly. "I love it."

"You really weren't getting a choice in the matter anyhow," Morgana smirked, throwing it at him.

"Hey, what's this charity gala for anyway?" Arthur frowned. "I've completely forgotten."

"It's in the leaflet," Morgana replied, distracted, "I don't know, Mr Limun said something about orphaned whales or diseased children or Scientology survivors, I honestly don't pay attention to anything that greedy little social climber says. I think it's his nasally voice, it distracts from the whole conversation."

"No the Scientology Survivors Gala was last year," Arthur shook his head, "Remember, there was a lot of hand holding and presentations and what to look out for when you think your friend has been abducted by a cult. I have to say though, it was quite riveting. I now know not to get into some stranger's white van if he offers me candy."

Morgana laughed at her brother's strange sense of humour. "Well it only took you ten years Arthur, but you finally understood the concept of Stranger Danger."

"Which is why I'm going to be your wing man tonight," Arthur turned over the ice bag to get the colder side.

"I don't need a wing man," Morgana folded her arms, "I already have a casual pre-date in the works."

"A wing man doesn't just get someone a date, they also look out for signs of an awkward date," Arthur replied, "We should come up with a code sign. If you tug on your left ear, I'll just come over and make some excuse to get you out of it."

"We are not doing that," Morgana shook her head, already walking away.

"Sounds like a plan!" he called.

"No, we're not doing that!" she cried back.

**::**

* * *

"I'm doubting this whole evening now," Merlin said nervously as he stood in front of his wall length mirror. He was wearing a navy blue suit; waistcoat, jacket and trousers with a white shirt, black tie and black shoes. His raven coloured hair was left slightly untamed, mostly because Merlin couldn't find any hair gel in his bathroom.

"Are you regretting Gwaine's plan?" Gwen asked as she came to stand beside him. Her dark hair was pulled into an elegant bun and she was wearing a red burgundy dress that came to her knees. "If you really don't want to use Morgana then don't, Merlin. You're a good person, this whole revenge thing isn't really you, is it?"

"I have to do this," Merlin tugged at his tie anxiously, "For Gaius. Even if I did stop this whole thing, I've still got a date with her tonight, if it even is a date. How can I cancel now? I don't want to. What even is a pre-date? I've never even heard of that. Is that some high class upper society thing?"

Gwen shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe she's nervous to be alone with you for the first time. You don't really know each other, the only thing you have in common is Gaius. We all know what he'd say if he found out what you were planning to do to Uther."

"Which is exactly why we're not telling him," Merlin shot her a warning look.

"Are you sure Morgana won't mind if you bring me?" Gwen asked thoughtfully, "I mean, we're just friends but I know exactly how girls think. It might look weird."

"She told me specifically to bring some friends," Merlin replied, "And I can't invite Gwaine or the others. They're too well known around the grifter world. We can't alert anybody to what we're planning. We're okay, all they know is you're a nurse and I'm Gaius' apprentice, end of."

"Why does it feel like we're walking into the lion's den for some reason?" Gwen muttered.

"We kind of are," Merlin looked at his best friend. "We'll be in Pendragon territory."

"Do you think Uther will show tonight?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know," Merlin replied darkly.

Gwen's phone beeped and she glanced down at the incoming text with a goofy grin on her face and a blush rising on her cheeks.

"Who was that?" Merlin's eyebrow quirked.

"Just Lancelot," Gwen said softly, "We got to talking the other day at The Ealdor and he's pretty amazing. We've been texting all day and he just sent me this really cute picture of a cat chasing it's own tail. Want to see?"

"I'm good," Merlin laughed slightly. "Come on, we better get going before we're late. Morgana said it started at eight, on the sixth floor."

"Aren't these tickets like twenty thousand pounds?" Gwen asked.

"Morgana said she'd get me on the guest list," Merlin replied.

"What's this Charity Gala even for?" Gwen grabbed her coat and headed for the front door of their apartment.

"No idea," Merlin shrugged, "I'm sure it's some rich person thing."

**::**

* * *

Morgana glanced around the open hall with curious eyes. The theme was black tie so everyone was dolled up their fanciest outfit. A piano was playing in the background as a classical singer was singing on the small stage at the other end of the room. Most people were standing and mingling at the same time as the waiters and waitresses walked throughout the room with trays of appetisers and glasses of champagne.

The lighting was classy and somewhat low, and Morgana wondered if she should have told the event planner to make it brighter. A general murmur and buzz of consensus flowed throughout the room. It was better than the last charity gala Morgana attended. That had been too loud and too trashy. This one was relaxed and elegant.

Arthur walked over to her and handed her a glass of champagne. "Looking for your date?" he asked, glancing her up and down. Morgana was always a timeless beauty but she had particularly outdone herself tonight. Her long straight hair flowed past her waist and the contrast of navy blue against her pale alabaster skin made her the centre of attention. People couldn't stop staring at her.

"I am not that pathetic," Morgana looked at him with slight annoyance. She downed the champagne and put her empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter. "You clean up well," she told Arthur, looking at his clean shaven face and black suit she'd bought him. His bruised cheek was slightly red but he still managed to look Pendragon worthy.

"I have good genes," Arthur said mockingly. "I suppose you're not too bad yourself."

Morgana rolled her eyes, glancing down at her silk dress. The top half clung to her curves, tucked in at the waist and then flowed down to the floor. The neckline stopped below her collar bone with short sleeves. She wished it wasn't so cold in the hall either, her arms were starting to get goosebumps.

Arthur looked across the room, his attention distracted. He murmured, "Who is that beautiful angel?"

"Who are you talking about?" Morgana picked up another glass of champagne from a passing waitress with an alcohol tray. She took a sip and followed Arthur's gaze across the hall, her eyes falling on the sight of Merlin. She lowered her glass, a little shocked. He looked gorgeous, and he was also wearing navy blue. Then she saw the girl beside him. She was beautiful, with exotic skin and a pretty face. Merlin and his guest hadn't seen her yet.

"Do you think that's her date?" Arthur muttered, "I wonder if I could get her away from him."

Morgana scowled. "Well, she looks like she's with my date."

Arthur stared at Merlin and then said, "That's Merlin, your date? He's not your usual type."

"I do not have a type, I resent that," she snapped. "I told him to bring his friends, not a stunning model. I mean, I'm pretty sure I made it clear this was a date. Didn't I? I did, I made it clear. Do you think he's just friends with her or..."

"Stop being so insecure," Arthur rolled his eyes, "You're still the most beautiful woman in this room."

Morgana flipped her hair self consciously, "Arthur, I don't need you soothing my ego. But thanks."

"Look, just go over and act natural," Arthur said, "And find out that girl's name, and if she's involved with anyone."

Morgana swallowed the lump in her throat. Merlin and his friend still hadn't noticed them. Her feet were rooted to the spot. She literally couldn't move. What was happening to her? She barely even knew Merlin, why was she acting like a school girl?

"Morgana," Arthur placed his hand on Morgana's back and shoved her forwards a bit, "Go."

"I can't," she shook her head, "This was a bad idea. What if he doesn't like me? Arthur, stop pushing me, we're in public, you're causing a scene."

"Just relax and smile," Arthur assured her, "I'm your wing man remember?" he guided her through the room, his hand still pushing her forwards.

Morgana felt a little breathless when Merlin finally stopped looking around the room and spotted them heading over. He stared at her, a little awestruck, but then he smiled widely. Morgana couldn't find it in her face muscles to reply with one of her own.

"You made it," Morgana licked her lips when she and Arthur finally reached Merlin and his friend.

Merlin nodded, "How could I not? You look breathtaking."

"Thanks," Morgana touched her hair nervously. Then she looked at Arthur and said, "This is my brother, Arthur."

"Nice to meet you," Merlin reached out and shook Arthur's hand, "This is my best friend, Gwen."

"This is really lovely," Gwen gushed at Morgana, "Such an important cause as well."

Morgana glanced at Arthur, realising she still had no idea what the hell the gala was about.

There was an awkward silence and then Arthur said, "Gwen, would you like me to give you a tour of the hall? There's some wonderful paintings you might find interesting."

"I'd love to," Gwen took Arthur's offered arm and walked away.

Morgana turned back to Merlin, internally cursing Arthur. She said, "Would you like a drink?"

"Sure," Merlin smiled, glancing at her navy blue dress, "I guess we match."

Morgana picked up two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to Merlin. "I guess we do," she told him, her nerves starting to calm slightly. She rarely ever let men have any kind of control over her. She was usually in control all the time.

"Is there something wrong?" Merlin leaned in towards her and his scent intoxicated her slightly. He appeared slightly worried, and he had that look about someone who was hiding something.

"How do you know Gwen?" Morgana blurted out, unable to tame that irrational bit of insecurity.

Merlin relaxed visibly, like he was worried she was going to say something else. He replied, "A childhood friend, we grew up together. She's my best friend, but just a friend. Nothing more."

"So she's not like an ex?" Morgana curled a tendril of her hair around her finger.

Merlin laughed at the thought, "No, definitely not. She's like my sister."

Morgana looked down, shaking her head, "I don't know why that bothered me," she did know.

"I like that it did," Merlin admitted, their eyes meeting for the first time since they'd seen each other. Blue against blue, there it was again. That connection, that spark, that haze.

"You wanna go out onto the balcony?" Morgana asked, "It's a little quieter there."

Merlin nodded, placing his hand on her back as they walked through the hall towards the sliding glass doors that led out onto the spacious balcony. Morgana caught Arthur's eye as she walked and her smirk was all that he needed to know that he didn't have to swoop in with an excuse any time soon, which was good for him, because he wanted to spend some more time with Gwen.

Morgana took a bottle of wine from one of the tables before reaching the balcony. It was empty when they reached it and Morgana took a seat at the balcony table as Merlin slid the glass door shut behind them. He took a seat next to her and put his glass down on the table next to hers.

"Tell me something," Morgana began as she opened up the bottle of wine, "How come we've both known Gaius for so long, but we've never met until now?"

"Different worlds?" Merlin replied, "I always dealt with the workshop, I never got involved with Gaius's business side."

"And vice versa for me," Morgana topped their glasses up, "Is Gaius okay? I told him I'd visit again but I got sidetracked."

"I saw him yesterday, he's doing fine," Merlin nodded, his voice a little harder for some reason.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Morgana's expression softened.

"Apart from my mother and Gwen, he's been the one constant thing in my life," Merlin smiled, "He believed in me when nobody else did. He helped me through university, and after it. He always thought I had talent and he did whatever he could to put me on the right track."

"He's a sweetheart," Morgana agreed, "I'm so upset he relinquished his shares in the Pendragon empire but I can't be angry if he wants to retire, he's certainly earned his time off, all these years of hard work."

Merlin coughed awkwardly and pulled at his tie.

"Something wrong?" Morgana caught his reaction.

Merlin forced a smile on his face, "I'm fine. Is Uther going to be here by any chance?"

"Guys don't usually ask me about my adoptive father on the first date," she smirked. "No, he never comes to these things. Too busy, or stuck up. Take your pick."

"Oh so this is a first date?" Merlin's eyebrow quirked up, "Have you upgraded it from pre-date?"

"Maybe," Morgana laughed, "If you tell me about yourself."

"I'm an open book," Merlin took a sip of wine, "What do you want to know?"


	7. The Captors and Captives I

**A/N:** A whole chapter of pure Mergana. How much do you love me? Go on. Tell me how much you love me! Also let me know if I've butchered any respective characters. It's quite hard to judge when you're literally writing AU.

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Six**

_The Captors and Captives I  
_

**:: **

"So, my father was Welsh and my mother was English," Merlin said, "But he left when I was very young, I can barely even remember him. Gaius knew my father from years ago, so he offered to help me when I was older, if I ever wanted it. I grew up, made some horrible choices and when I turned sixteen, Gaius gave me an apprenticeship with his workshop. Once I realised that I could build something and design it and breathe life into it, I knew that's what I wanted to do. I went to university and the rest is history."

Morgana nodded, her eyes half lidded from the wine she'd been drinking. Merlin was affected too and they'd both shifted subconsciously towards each other with Morgana's hand resting lightly on Merlin's arm. She said, "That must have been hard, growing up without your father."

Merlin felt a thrill go through his body as Morgana's hand slid down his arm and rested playfully on his hand. Her fingers dancing across his wrist and over the back of his hand was more arousing than socially acceptable. He suppressed a shudder as both their knees touched.

"Tell me about your family," Merlin murmured, remembering briefly from Gwaine's presentation. Morgana's father had died when she was ten and after her mother disappeared, Uther had adopted her into his family. It still seemed a little odd though and if Merlin knew Uther, then there was something shady that tyrant was covering up.

"We lived in Ireland originally," Morgana said quietly, "My father was an accountant and when he got offered a job here, he grabbed it up, and we moved immediately. I hated it, fought every step of the way. It was horrible, such a culture shock. And everything was okay, for a couple of months, before my father's accident. His car crashed, it was an accident, he lost control of the wheel. My mother couldn't handle it, she..." she sucked in a sharp breath.

Merlin slid an arm around her back, "You don't have to talk about it."

"She left," Morgana finished, her voice strengthening, "I had no one... except for Uther. He took me in. If it wasn't for him and Arthur, I don't know what would have happened to me. Gaius has been such a big part of my life as well. He's always been there for me, making me feel... normal."

"I'm sure your father would be very proud of you," Merlin whispered, "And your mother, wherever she is."

"I'm not so sure about that," Morgana forced a smile onto her face. Then she said, "You'll have to show me your designs one day, I'd love to drop by Gaius' workshop, I've never been."

Merlin's eyes brightened at Morgana's suggestion of a second date, "I'd love that. You should come by this week, I'm taking over for Gaius while he rests."

Her fingers slid idly under his sleeve as she bite her lip. He suppressed a moan at her touch and leaned in towards her a little more until their faces were inches apart. They enjoyed the comfort of each other, the closeness, the warmth, the thrill. Morgana looked at him, like she could see right through him. He didn't like the fact that he felt so open in front of her, bared. It made him feel vulnerable and he wondered if she felt the same way.

"Let me take you somewhere," Morgana blurted out, "I wanna show you something."

Merlin's eyebrows perked, his smile warm, "Lead the—"

"Morgana?" a dangerously low voice full of experience and age suddenly interrupted him. Uther stepped into their view; Catrina Tregor on his arm. Uther was wearing a black tuxedo with a white bow-tie and Catrina was dressed in a silver gown with diamond encrusted jewels. Her dirty blonde hair was pinned up classically.

"Uther," Morgana pulled back from Merlin, flustered, "Arthur said you weren't coming here tonight."

Uther's eyes glanced from his adoptive daughter to Merlin. He cocked his eyebrow and said, "Arthur gets many things wrong. I'm Uther," he extended his hand out to Merlin, "You are?"

"Merlin," Merlin forced himself to swallow down the bile in his throat and reach out to shake Uther's hand.

"Merlin's my date," Morgana composed herself suddenly, glancing indifferently to Catrina. Morgana had never been a fan of Uther's friends in the past, but Catrina was consistently the most unpleasant person her adoptive father had chosen to spend time with. She added, "I see you've brought your own date."

Uther forced a smile on his face but his discomfort was evident. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your last name?" he said to Merlin, his eyebrows furrowing.

Morgana stood up, grabbing Merlin's hand before he could reply. She said quickly, "I'm sorry we can't stay and chat, but Merlin was just telling me what an amazing dancer he is."

"Morgana," Uther's voice dripped with disdain.

Morgana glanced briefly into the sky, before turning to Merlin and saying, "I'll meet you in there, okay?" she watched him slip through the balcony doors and back into the hall. She spun around to face Uther and Catrina, "I'm not interested in whatever you have to say," she said bluntly.

"That's no way to speak to me," Uther said, his tone annoyed. "Who is this Merlin? Is it serious?"

"I just met him," Morgana replied honestly, "But it could be, maybe."

"He looks a little... uncultured," Catrina said judgmentally, her smile false.

"He doesn't need to be cultured," Morgana snapped angrily, "I like him just the way he is."

"If you've just met him, then how much of him do you really know?" Uther questioned, "I've brought Valiant here tonight, I was hoping you would consider a date with him. You know how charming he is. And very well mannered too."

Morgana tried to stop from seething, "Valiant? I'm on a date right now. Why can't you just accept my life choices? Why must you always think you can do better?"

Uther rolled his eyes, "Stop acting so melodramatic, Morgana. I'm only looking out for you—"

"Well, you can stop," she cut him off, "Unless you want me to start giving you my romantic advice? Because if that's the deal then I suppose I have some things to say about your _lovely_ date as well."

"Morgana," Uther warned her, his voice sharp. Catrina glared at the younger woman.

Morgana tilted her head at Catrina and said, "Silver's not your colour," she turned around and stormed back into the hall, slamming the balcony door shut behind her. Merlin was staring at one of the paintings on the wall by the time Morgana found him through the classical ballroom dancing and harp style music.

"Let's go," she took his arm suddenly.

Merlin glanced at her, his eyes narrowed, "Go?" he questioned, "Leave? But what about the Gala and your father—"

"My _adoptive_ father," Morgana corrected him, "And I don't care. Come on, let's just go. I said I had something to show you, didn't I?"

Merlin knew he should have found Gwen and told her face to face that he was leaving but Morgana already had her fingers intertwined with his, yanking him towards the elevators. He settled for a simple text message instead. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset with him, but from the look of it on the dance floor, she and Arthur Pendragon seemed to be having... well... a ball.

"What did Uther say to upset you?" Merlin asked her when they had made it out onto the streets of London, trying to hail a cab.

"Nothing," Morgana avoided his gaze, biting her lip. Then she glanced up at him and a genuine smile graced her lips. He couldn't help but smile back. She was so beautiful and so unique and so different to any girl he'd ever dated before.

"It's nothing that matters," she added, clarifying quickly.

Merlin guessed the gist of Uther's conversation with her but he didn't press the situation any further. To change the subject, he asked, "Where are we going?" a night time adventure with Morgana le Fay wasn't something that bothered him, but he hated being caught out. He hated not being prepared for something, no matter what it was.

"It's a surprise," Morgana grinned at him, her smile hiding a million secrets. Her warmth had infected him slightly and he found—for once in his life—that he didn't care what was coming or what unknown lay ahead.

**::**

* * *

"Aren't they beautiful?" Morgana whispered, piercing the silent air around them. She glanced over to Merlin and found him completely engrossed in the sight before them. She'd taken off her heels and realised that she was quite short compared to him, her head barely reaching his shoulder.

"They are something," Merlin felt something catch in the back of his throat. It was rare that he was moved by something other than art these days. He continued to watch the movements of the dolphins in the water before him, only a sheet of glass separating them. Somehow, Morgana had managed to pull some strings with the security guard to let them in the aquarium after closing hours.

"This is where I come, whenever I feel lost or alone or... just having one of those days," Morgana confessed quietly. "It's like my little safe haven."

Merlin swallowed, realising how lonely and sad her reflection looked in the glass. Another layer of guilt started to settle in his gut. He didn't want to use her, but he didn't want to stop knowing her now either.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Morgana asked him, her eyes lighting up a little.

Merlin nodded, surprised once again by how surprisingly vulnerable she could be.

"See that dolphin?" Morgana pointed through the glass at a particular dolphin that had a nasty scar running down the front of it's nose, "That's Aithusa. I rescued her from Japan, in a little town called Taiji. Every year, the fishermen of Taiji have a drive hunt on Dolphins. When I was over there a few years ago with Uther on a business trip, we stumbled upon it on our sight seeing, purely by accident. Even Uther was shaken. I saw them, trying to kill her and I couldn't just let it happen. Something weird happened, when Uther saw how distressed I was, he paid for the fishermen to let her go."

Merlin stared through the glass, his eyebrows furrowed.

"But I knew the chance of other fishermen catching her if she was released back into the Taiji waters," Morgana continued sadly, "So they put her in a cage and kept her underwater until Uther could arrange for her transportation to London. It wasn't easy, but Uther was... So determined. It's the only time I've ever seen him act like he has a heart. I'm just sad we couldn't save all the dolphins."

"That must have been horrible," Merlin looked down, his expression unreadable.

"It was," Morgana blinked, "You don't ever imagine there being that amount of violence in the world until you're confronted with it. The water had turned pure red with the colour of their blood. It was horrifying," she swallowed the lump in her throat, her mind dragging her backwards into it's darkest corners.

She shivered, remembering her nightmare again. She was a little girl: so young, so tired, so innocent. And there was so much red, so much red, so much red, so much _red_.

"Are you okay?" Merlin placed his hand on her back, bringing her back to their current conversation.

"I'm fine," Morgana nodded a little too much, trying to convince herself more than Merlin. "I'm just cold."

Merlin shrugged his navy blue suit jacket from his arms and placed it on Morgana's shoulders. She beamed at him, goosebumps spreading throughout her arms at his warmth and rich scent. She couldn't help but laugh at such a clichéd move.

She asked, "Are you such a gentleman with all your girl friends?"

Merlin smirked, "Only the ones I like."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Morgana bit her lip.

"Take it however you want it," he glanced at her, wondering how soon he was going to fall for her. He could already feel it happening.

Morgana blushed, absent-mindedly checking her watch, "Shoot. It's late, I should probably... head back. I'm the Manager and I've got so much to do tomorrow."

"I completely understand," Merlin said softly, glancing back to the dolphins one last time.

"I know it's wrong to keep them in captivity," Morgana whispered, her attention also drawn to the dolphins, "But sometimes captivity is safer than the real world, you know?" she placed her spread out palm against the glass, "They wouldn't be able to survive in the wild anyway. Not anymore."

The one Morgana had called Aithusa—with the nasty scar—had swam away from it's pod over to Morgana. The dolphin pressed her nose against the glass right where Morgana's hand was, on the other side. Merlin felt a burst of joy spread throughout his body at the sight of such purity.

"She always knows when I'm here," Morgana told Merlin with her own childish smile. They both watched Aithusa swim back to her pod and turned to each other.

"I'll escort you home," Merlin said suddenly.

"I would like that," Morgana said softly.

As they left the aquarium behind, Merlin knew that there and then, Morgana had already captured him.

**::**

* * *

"Are you sure Uther isn't going to have security escort me out of the building?" Merlin asked jokingly as he followed Morgana into her en suite apartment. He thought he was going to bid her goodbye at the entrance of Camelot, but when she'd insisted that he come up to her apartment for coffee, he couldn't find it in himself to say no.

"Definitely not," Morgana closed the front door behind him, "Uther doesn't stay here, he's got a penthouse apartment across the city. Arthur and I haven't lived there since we left for the residency halls at university. After that... I never wanted to go back to living under someone's wing, so I moved in here. Arthur's in the apartment below this one."

"You two seem close," Merlin said casually, "You and Arthur, I mean. You and Uther... seem... not so close."

"Just about summed up my entire teenage years," Morgana laughed, "Arthur and I may not be blood related but he's my brother, has been ever since I moved here. Uther's just... He's just my guardian. He's not even really a father figure. Gaius is really the only parental figure I've had since my parents."

Merlin glanced around her apartment as they walked into the living room, "Uther looked like he was going to cut my head off earlier," he mused suddenly, "He really doesn't like anyone outside of his... circle, does he?"

Morgana threw him a wayward look, "Merlin, do you really care what Uther thinks of you?"

He shook his head.

"Good," she smiled, "Because I don't care either. I'm thankful to Uther for taking me in, but that's it. That's where it stops."

"You're really strong," Merlin commented as his eyes caught sight of a framed picture of Morgana and Arthur as children, "To survive without your father... and your mother at such a young age."

"The ground never stops shifting," Morgana agreed, "You just have to make sure you have something to hold onto so you don't fall," she glanced around, suddenly wishing she'd cleaned her apartment beforehand. She looked at him, "Do you want some coffee?"

"Let me," Merlin offered, walking out of the living room and towards the kitchen.

Morgana smiled to herself as she watched him go. She couldn't calm her beating heart or qualm the butterflies she felt in her stomach. Her cheeks were flushed and her palms sweaty. This never happened to her and instead of hating the lack of control on a situation, she realised that she welcomed this new found flood of emotions.

Is this what she had been missing her entire life? Is this what Jane Austen wrote about? Was this feeling why Romeo and Juliet had killed themselves? Was this why Paris declared war by rescuing Helen of Troy? If they felt a minuscule of what she felt, then she finally understood the hype over falling for someone, over having a connection that _mattered_.

Merlin walked back into the living room, carrying two cups; one coffee and one tea. He handed Morgana the cup of coffee and took a seat next to her on her expensive black leather couch.

"So, what do you do in your spare time when you're not rescuing dolphins or managing a hotel?" Merlin asked suddenly.

"I'm on the executive board of Save a Star Foundation for young orphaned children. We organise events, raise funds, sponsor the children, make sure the system finds them a good home. It's really just a way for the children to feel less... alone," she replied, "It hits close to home."

Merlin swallowed down his scalding tea. The guilt threatened to consume him. Morgana was possibly the nicest person he had ever met, and here he was, plotting to get inside her head, inside her apartment, inside the very thing she worked for: Pendragon Industries.

"Am I boring you?" Morgana noticed his expression, smirking.

"God no," Merlin almost cried, "I'm just thinking about all the many, many, _many_ charities I'm on the executive board for!"

Morgana burst into laughter, "I know I sound like one of those rich pretentious people!"

"No," Merlin shook his head, "No, absolutely not. Where do you find the time to do all those good deeds?"

"I really don't have much of a social life," Morgana confessed, "I have Arthur, he's my best friend but... I don't have many girlfriends and all of my guy friends are my exes, and they're either in jail, or dead, or not allowed near me because of the restraining order. I have a very complicated life."

Merlin licked his lips, the corners of his mouth turned upwards, "I'm quite sure you do. So this restraining order... Anything to worry about?"

"Probably not," Morgana shrugged casually, "It was a while ago, we all do stupid things when we're teenagers, right?"

"Yeah," Merlin agreed too eagerly, remembering his awful years before he met Gaius, when he made terrible choices and conned people out of money.

"What about you?" Morgana asked suddenly, "What mistakes did you make?"

Merlin hesitated, his brows creased. He shrugged, suddenly rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, "You know, just those usual teenage mistakes."

Morgana put down her cup of coffee and looked at him. Not one of those passing glances that the mildly curious bestow upon the object of their affection. No, she really _looked_ at him. The curve of his jaw, the sparkle in his eyes, the angle of his cheekbones, the slope of his back, the line of his arms. All the way through, she looked at him.

"What?" Merlin ruffled his black hair nervously, "You're staring. Do I have something on my face?"

"Would you like to?" she replied. He never saw it coming, never saw the meaning of her smirk or the appraisal of her eyes. She darted forwards and pressed her lips to his, her hand curling around the back of his neck. He was barely able to put down his cup of tea before he spilled it over himself. Something stirred in the pit of Morgana's gut; something that had been sleeping, something dormant, until her lips had collided with Merlin's. Morgana's fingers curled under his hair at the bottom of his neck as his lips parted against hers.

His tongue slipped inside and just at the touch of hers, the tight coil inside him burst free—something Morgana suspected he hadn't done in a _long_ time—and he began to ravish her mouth like her lips were candy coated and addictive. Merlin's hands slid down the navy silk of her dress, caressing her waist and pressing her to his chest. She responded immediately, bringing her hands to rest on both sides of his neck. Their lips continued to move passionately, neither one slowing down for breath or rest; just lost in their moment.

It probably would have gone further, had someone not interrupted them at that very moment.


	8. The Chained Gwaine

**A/N: **Hello! I hope you like this chapter! Just a quick general consensus here; do you think people will still read Merlin FFs when the show's over? Because I have **so many** more ideas and inspirations left and I would hate the thought of no one being interested anymore so basically... Don't leave. Okay. Never leave.**  
**

Oh and review? :)

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Seven**

_The Chained Gwaine_

**:: **

"Hello?" a voice from the hallway suddenly interrupted their embrace. Morgana and Merlin separated like they had been burned. Morgana spun around, touching her swollen lips as Arthur walked into the living room, his face falling with realisation. His eyes darted from Morgana to Merlin and it was obvious that he'd been drinking. His black jacket was open and his tie was ruffled slightly.

"Arthur," Morgana stood up, her eyes ablaze as Merlin awkwardly readjusted himself on the couch, swallowing thickly.

"Sorry," Arthur said, but he didn't sound like he meant it.

"I should probably go," Merlin stood up sporadically.

"Are you sure?" Morgana asked him, disappointed that her evening with him was being cut short.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Arthur agreed promptly and Morgana shot him a glare.

"I'll go get your jacket from the coat hanger," Morgana told Merlin. She was hesitant to leave Arthur and Merlin alone but she didn't want to walk her date to the door with Arthur trailing after them. She slipped past Arthur and disappeared into the hallway.

Arthur stared at Merlin, giving him one of those glares that could only come from an overprotective older sibling. Merlin shifted awkwardly, tugging on his ear.

"Is this the part where you threaten to hurt me if I hurt your sister?" Merlin asked Arthur and a stab of guilt pierced his stomach. He didn't want to hurt Morgana, he really, really didn't.

"I don't think I need to exert any kind of masculine aggression since you already look like you're about to cry, but..." Arthur said suddenly, "Just for the record, if you do anything to upset Morgana, I won't just hurt you: I'll hunt you, gut you, stuff you and put your head on my wall. Are we clear?"

Merlin cleared his throat awkwardly, "Crystal."

"Here you go," Morgana walked back into the living room with Merlin's navy blue jacket.

"You get home safe now," Arthur clapped a hand on Merlin's back as he and Morgana walked down the hallway towards the front door. Arthur knew Morgana could take care of herself but he still checked on them to make sure Merlin's goodnight kiss was strictly on the cheek, which it was.

As soon as the door shut, Arthur started to count down to the moment when Morgana would storm back into her living room and start screaming at him.

_Five, four, three, two—_

"Ow!" Arthur screamed, holding his shin where Morgana had swiftly kicked him.

"That was for ruining my night," Morgana snapped, folding her arms.

"Please," Arthur collapsed onto her couch, "That kick did _not_ come from your brain or your heart, you horn dog. You barely know this guy... Don't you wanna take a bit of time before you jump into bed with him in case he might be a Ugandan war criminal?"

Morgana rolled her eyes, "You are so dramatic and I hate you."

"Hey, you owe me," her brother barked drunkenly, "Uther pulled me aside tonight, wanted to know Merlin's last name, kept asking me for some reason."

"Why?" she whipped her head around to face him, but she already knew. Uther did this was _everyone_ who was in their lives or employed by him. That man was obsessively paranoid but his power was never threatened.

"He wanted to run an extensive background check on him, of course," Arthur mumbled back, "So I lied to him and told him Merlin's last name was Dalton. You owe me big time."

"Why did you feel the need to lie?" Morgana scowled at Arthur.

"Because," Arthur replied, "Merlin's not from... a privileged background. When Uther finds out that he's just an architect who works part-time, he'll do anything he can to make sure you never see him again. You know he will."

"Well, thanks," Morgana shrugged, "You didn't have to... but... thank you. I know you only did this because you hate it when Uther and I fight but... If you give Merlin a chance, you'll really like him, like I do."

"He's a stranger, Morgana" Arthur said, yawning suddenly.

"Sometimes, you don't need months or years to get to know somebody," she retorted, "Sometimes all it takes is a few hours. A few hours to figure out who they are."

"Oh good god," Arthur groaned, throwing his head backwards, "This is ridiculous, you are not that girl, Morgana. That clingy girly girl who falls in love in a day and wants to get married and have kids."

Morgana shrugged, breathing out sharply. "People change, Arthur."

"Not in such a short space of time, and not you," Arthur replied.

"Whatever," Morgana rolled her eyes, "What about you? How was your night?"

"Gwen is amazing!" Arthur suddenly cried, his tipsiness effecting his speech, "She's so pretty and beautiful and funny and I love her hair and her dress, everything about her. She's the one, I'm going to marry her."

Morgana stared at her brother, shaking her head.

"What?" Arthur asked drowsily.

Morgana laughed in spite of him, "Nothing," she gritted through her teeth, "Absolutely nothing you giant hypocrite."

Just as Morgana was leaving the room, Arthur said soberly, "Did you tell him about your mother?"

Morgana shivered, goosebumps dancing over her arms, "I don't see how that's relevant," she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Arthur turned over on her couch, "I know you. Even when you trust people, you never really trust them. All I'm saying is, don't get too attached to someone new, because you know that sooner or later, you're going to leave them. No one blames you for it, Morgana. It's just what you do."

Morgana froze in the doorway when Arthur added, "You should go see your mother sometime. I know she misses you."

"Don't mention her again, okay, Arthur?" Morgana replied. Although her tone was soft, Arthur could tell her warning was as severe as one of Uther's boardroom commands.

She slipped into the hallway, letting the darkness consume her. The night time was her most favourite hour of the day; when the blackness set in and hid others from sight. Hid her from the prying eyes of the staff, or Uther. She did have many walls up—she knew that—but Arthur was wrong, despite what he thought.

Just because she had walls up surrounding her heart didn't mean someone couldn't use the front door every now and then. As she showered later and scrubbed her skin, she felt the urge to cry—felt tears well up in her eyeballs—but she found that even in the solitary of her shower, hidden under the streaming shower head, she still couldn't do it.

She hadn't let tears spill over her eyes and onto her cheeks since her father's funeral. She hadn't properly cried in twelve years, and until the tangled mess of her head sorted itself out, it was going to stay that way.

At least, that's what she thought.

**::**

* * *

**The Next Day**

Merlin was awakened rather rudely by his Bengal cat who proceeded to walk all over his face and onto his chest. He groaned, opening his eyes and fighting the yawn that escaped from it. The light from the sun streaked in through his blinds. His cat meowed in his face for the second time and clawed lightly at his nose.

"Kilgharrah," Merlin yawned sleepily, "I'm up!"

Kilgharrah went to sit on Merlin's stomach, purring softly as he stared at his owner. Merlin glanced over to his alarm clock, sighing when he realised he'd slept in. Gwen had already been asleep when he'd returned last night so he hadn't had a chance to speak to her.

"Breakfast sleepy head," Gwen suddenly barged in through Merlin's door, holding a tray of food in her hands. The smell of bacon, eggs and toast wafted into his nose and he perked up suddenly, jolting Kilgharrah away from his body.

"I thought you had morning shifts," Merlin sat up so Gwen could sit down next to him.

"I swapped with one of the other nurses," Gwen replied, "I'm glad you were here when I woke up. I was worried you and Morgana had..." she widened her eyes at him, trying to convey her message without actually having to say the words.

Merlin looked at her, amused; smirking. "You think Morgana and I shouldn't..." he gave her the same look as she had given him, trying hard not to laugh. Gwen was always a bit of a prude, especially when it came to discussing such things with _Merlin_.

Gwen blushed, "I just think you shouldn't rush into anything with her. You two looked... very close last night and I'm just worried that what you're doing right now, is a mistake. You can't get to know Morgana under false pretences, you can't create a bond with someone while you're trying to dupe them. That's not how it works."

Merlin shoved a slice of crispy bacon into his mouth and grumbled under his breath, "I know, I know. I've been consumed by guilt, I even had a nightmare about her finding out last night. She threw things. And say you're right, what am I supposed to do? How can I stop knowing her? I don't want to. I _like_ her. And she doesn't like Uther either, maybe if I tell her the truth about Gaius's departure from the company, maybe she'll—"

"She'll what?" Gwen cut him off sharply, "She'll betray her entire family and help you rob her adoptive father of the money that funds her own luxurious lifestyle?"

"Her lifestyle isn't like that," Merlin shook his head, "She rescues dolphins, she helps orphaned children, she's on charity boards! I don't even know what she sees in me. What does she see in me? I'm just Merlin."

"I suspect she sees what you hide from the world," Gwen said softly, looking down, "And when you find someone like that... You shouldn't start off with lies. You can't build a relationship on betrayal, Merlin. You need trust, or you have nothing at all. And what happens when Gwaine finds out that you've decided to sweep Uther's adoptive daughter off her feet for real? What becomes of his master _plan_ then?"

"Nobody has to know anything. As far as Gwaine knows, the plan hasn't changed," Merlin said, blind to his own faults, his own denials. "You're the only one who knows I really like her and it can stay that way. Look, we can still do this, okay? We can still rob Uther and save Morgana. I know I can."

"Even if you get away with this, the guilt will eventually consume you," Gwen looked her best friend straight in the eye, "Trust me, it will."

Merlin stared at her, his eyes drifting down to her neck. He peered, realising that he was staring at a bruise... at a hickey. "So you had fun last night," he quipped sarcastically.

Gwen touched her neck tentatively, blushing furiously, "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"Did Arthur Pendragon give you that?" Merlin asked suddenly, scowling. "I thought you liked Lancelot, remember? He's a con man and a hacker, sure, but he's a good man. Better than Arthur Pendragon."

"I can't explain it," Gwen shrugged, "We just clicked. I still like Lancelot, I do. Besides, what happened last night with Arthur will probably never happen again. He didn't even get my number, despite the amount of times he asked for it."

"Good," Merlin couldn't help but grumble, "You can still back out now too, you know. Nobody's asking you to deceive anyone. I walked into this knowingly and I'm still here, for Gaius, but you don't have to be."

"If I don't stay and take care of you, who will?" Gwen prompted lightly.

Kilgharrah meowed from the corner of the room, as if trying to reply to Gwen's unanswered question.

**::**

* * *

Merlin walked towards Gaius's workshop; _G.B DESIGNS_. It was located in the Greater London area, built in 1927 at a cost of one point three million pounds. Gaius had particularly adored the building throughout his late teens and into his early twenties. When he'd finally had enough money to buy it after his partnership with Uther took off, he bought it as a side project and started his own classes, teaching other budding architects from any age.

It had elements of both Mediterranean Revival Style and Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture. The building itself was measured three hundred and sixty one feet by two hundred and forty two feet. It rose over four stories with a hundred rooms. The towering dome in the centre of the building—over twenty six feet in size—was located above the west entrance and could be seen in great distance.

Merlin had begun to take on more responsibilities last year with his old mentor's workload but he had never managed the place on his own before. He unlocked the front and stepped inside. He turned on the building's lights and heating, and strode confidently to Gaius's office on the second floor. The lecturers would arrive soon to start getting ready for their classes. It wasn't so long ago that Merlin was here taking courses while he was going through university.

There was one side project Gaius had had to stop along with his workshop—a nursing home wanted a new garden layout and several conservatories—and Merlin couldn't do both for him, no matter how much he wanted to. When he sat down at Gaius's office desk, he was face to face with the picture of Morgana and Gaius that his old mentor had taken on her graduation day. He wondered how long he'd just ignored that picture for.

He always knew it was there, but somehow, he'd always just overlooked the beautiful angel in the frame. He worked on the computer for the next hour or so, emailing back inquiries and dealing with the overflowing appointments. A little notification on the corner of the computer screen notified him when every one of the lecturers sign in with their cards at the front door.

He rarely dealt with the lecturers since they were trained professionals but there were times when they came to him with small problems that weren't worth bothering Gaius with. A couple more hours passed and Merlin finally stretched out of the office chair, striding over to the window and opening it a little. It was still sunny, which wasn't rare, but it was warm, which was. He enjoyed the warmth of the sun and rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, sighing.

He planned on calling the hospital today for a check up on Gaius and then visiting him later that night. Gwaine had also left a check-in message on Merlin's voicemail, but it wasn't urgent and their next meeting at The Ealdor wasn't until next week. He was scared that he had a lot on his plate and not enough of himself to handle it. It were times like these when Merlin wished that he had a twin, or a clone.

He was about to order in some lunch when his office door burst open and Gwaine stepped inside. He was rugged as usual, wearing blue jeans and a black jumper. His stubble was growing in and his hair was messy. Merlin glanced over to his old friend, frowning. He tried not to overact but the expression on his face betrayed his inner turmoil.

"What, not happy to see me?" Gwaine asked, sauntering forwards.

"If anyone sees you enter or leave this building, somebody could put two and two together and oust me," Merlin folded his arms squarely, "You're being careless."

"If you think someone's watching you in the first place, then _you're_ being careless," Gwaine quipped, smirking. "You look on edge. Is Gaius okay?"

"He's fine," Merlin nodded back, "What's up?"

"Just checking in," Gwaine shrugged, "I left you a voicemail, you didn't reply. Did your plan to insert yourself in Morgana's life work?"

Merlin's jaw stiffened. "Yeah it worked," he tried to sound indifferent but he wasn't sure he was pulling it off, "We're getting to know each other."

"Good," Gwaine walked over to the window as Merlin took a seat in the office chair again.

Just as Gwaine looked out of the window, his eyebrows perked up when he noticed Morgana le Fay herself on the pavement across the road, wearing black jeans, a black jacket and black shades. She was definitely trying to seem unnoticeable. She wasn't headed in the direction of Gaius's workshop either. She was walking in the opposite direction.

"Listen, this was nice," Merlin said as he looked at the computer on the desk, "But I'm really busy. Running this workshop and everything."

"Sure," Gwaine cleared his throat, slapping a lazy hand on Merlin's shoulder, "I should go anyway. Talk to you later?"

He was out of Gaius's office faster than Merlin blinked.

**::**

* * *

Gwaine crept through the back alleyway of an expensive London building, almost forgetting where he was. He'd ran from Gaius's workshop and followed Morgana down the street, managing to maintain a respectable distance. This was Gwaine's kind of specialty. He was a grifter, a man of doing things. He was useless in front of a computer and he hated reading, but getting his hands dirty was his thing. And the drinking. Never forget the drinking. He stopped to make sure nobody was following him—just like Merlin had paranoidly stated earlier—and carried on.

Morgana was a few yards away, careful to make sure nobody saw her. Gwaine knew those tricks by heart; the sneaky stride, the quick pace, the dark colours. He knew a shady person when he saw one and Morgana le Fay was acting like a shady woman with a secret. Well, lots of secrets. She was Uther Pendragon's adoptive daughter after all. Morgana turned a corner on another street and sped out of sight.

Gwaine quickened his step, knowing he could get her in his sights again if he hurried. As soon as Gwaine turned the same corner, he was knocked to the ground with a swift kick to his abdomen, rendering him motionless. A groan caught in his throat as he blinked and looked upwards. His sight readjusted itself and he saw Morgana le Fay above him with her hands on her hips.

"Who are you and why are you following me?" Morgana demanded angrily.

It took Gwaine a moment to compose himself. The pain in his stomach throbbed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, lady," he groaned, clutching his stomach, "I was just walking and you attac—"

"Don't try and bullshit me, I've heard it all," she snapped. "I know you were following me and now I want to know why," she tore off her shades and narrowed her eyes at him.

Gwaine shook his head, "Honestly. I don't know _anything_."

"Fortunately for you," Morgana said, "I don't have time for this," she took out her phone and snapped a picture of him.

"What are you doing?" Gwaine practically gaped at her. He wasn't used to _anyone_ figuring out that he was following them. He had completely underestimated her. Well, he wouldn't make that mistake again.

"Having a picture of my stalker will be a handy addition for my security team," Morgana retorted, tilting her head. She slipped her hand into her left jacket pocket and said, "Unfortunately for you, this just so happens to be my brother's jacket and look what he left in here from his Halloween party?" she pulled out a pair of metal handcuffs.

Gwaine suddenly smirked, his cocky exterior rearing it's confident head. "That's my kind of woman."

Morgana laughed humorlessly and bent over him. She slapped a cuff around one of his wrists and dragged him across the pavement to a side railing. She cuffed the other one to the railing and stood back to admire her catch.

"What the hell?" Gwaine rattled his cuffed wrist, angry, "Uncuff me, _now_."

"Say cheese," Morgana held her phone up again and took another picture of him, "Oh don't worry. This picture will just be for my own personal collection."

"That makes me feel great," Gwaine grumbled, glaring at her.

"Well," Morgana put her shades back on, "You can't chase after someone who doesn't want to be followed. Trust me. I know."

Gwaine watched her disappear round the corner, rattling his cuffed wrist as she went. He dug into his pocket and took out his phone, dialing a number quickly. He pressed his phone to his ear and waited until he heard a ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Merlin, it's me," Gwaine grumbled, embarrassed, "I need your help... I'm a little... tied up."


	9. The Lunch Date

**A/N:** So close to Christmas now! Hope everyone has a good holiday! And I hope you like this chapter, let me know what you think! X

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Eight**

_The Lunch Date_

**::**

Merlin scowled at Gwaine as he leaned in and began to saw through the thinnest bit of metal on the hand cuffs. He'd arrived almost immediately after Gwaine's call, with a small saw in hand, which was usually used by architects sawing wood for their three dimensional models. He let out an annoyed sighed and continued to saw, trying not to catch Gwaine's skin on the blade. Some citizens walked by; looking on in absurdity and others just ignored them, going about their usual business.

"Are you going to talk to me yet?" Gwaine asked, putting his free hand on his hip. He knew that Merlin would be less than happy that Morgana had figured out he was following her, but this level of anger was a bit of an over kill, considering how their main mission was to know everything about her schedule and work duties, which unfortunately for her, included her personal activities as well.

"You got caught," Merlin said lowly, "You got caught and she took your picture. Twice. The second she gets Uther's men on that picture, you're dead meat. You'll have been found out and you'll have risked the entire operation, simply because you couldn't just let _me_ handle Morgana," he let out an angry breath. That wasn't the only thing he was worried about. If anyone saw Merlin and Gwaine together, Morgana would know his duplicity and probably kill him in the most painful way possible. If Uther didn't get around to it first.

"This is why we have inside men, like you," Gwaine replied easily, "Meet her for lunch, go to her apartment, spend some time with her and the second that she leaves the room, go through her phone and delete those pictures. If she doesn't have them to begin with then she can't identify me."

Merlin scowled again, "Are you fucking kidding me? She'll know somebody deleted those pictures and she'll eventually work it out. Did you honestly think you could follow a girl like Morgana le Fay? She's more observant than I am, and she has way more secrets. And that's coming from me."

Gwaine knew he was right about Morgana le Fay and her many secrets, but he wondered if Merlin had discovered any of them yet. He asked curiously, "Secrets?"

"I took a course on psychology, we studied body language," Merlin muttered, half distracted, "There's something about her past she's not telling me, it's in the way she talks and holds herself. She may be this dolphin rescuing Samaritan but I know a person with a dark past when I see one. And with her... I see one."

"She did say she didn't want to be followed," Gwaine licked his lips, "And she was dressed all in black, wearing shades. She obviously didn't want to be noticed, which is why she was walking near the alleyway in the first place."

"Obviously," Merlin sighed annoyedly.

"I promise a mistake like this will never happen again," Gwaine replied, "I'll be more careful next time. I won't underestimate her," he clutched his stomach and grimaced, "I think I might need to go to the hospital later."

"Why, what happened?" Merlin was almost done freeing him, his hand red and sore from the prolonged intense sawing.

"She ninja kicked me," Gwaine shook his head, embarrassed and angry at once, "She knew I was following her and she anticipated me."

"I'm a little surprised she didn't do more than that," Merlin replied. "I'm going up to see Gaius later if you want a lift then? Or, if you don't wanna go to a hospital, I'm sure Gwen wouldn't mind looking at it."

"Maybe," Gwaine breathed out, "I'm starting to get the feeling that crossing Morgana le Fay is almost as dangerous as crossing Uther."

Merlin stayed silent at that worrying thought as he finally cut through the middle of the hand cuffs. Gwaine sighed with relief. He was technically free but his wrist was still cuffed although it was no longer chained to the railing. The other half of the hand cuff was still attached to the railing. Merlin stood up properly, stretching his long legs.

"Should I be worried that she's the kind of woman who walks about with a pair of hand cuffs in her pocket?" Merlin mumbled suddenly.

Gwaine stared at his friend, perplexed, "Merlin. Let me tell you something. A woman who walks around with hand cuffs in her pocket is definitely _not_ something you should be worrying about! And besides," he clapped a hand on Merlin's back in a supportive way, "they were Arthur's hand cuffs anyway."

Merlin grimaced, "I hate you."

"I'll tell you what though," Gwaine muttered, "The last time I was hand cuffed by a beautiful woman, it was _way_ more fun."

**::**

* * *

Morgana strode into the Camelot hotel, taking off her shades. She walked over to the front desk and said to Mithian the receptionist, "Do I have any messages?" her face was pale and her eyes were bright, like she were trying to hide something that nobody but her could possibly know. Morgana always had a way of looking like a perfect angel, even if that's not what she was.

Mithian looked up from her computer screen and handed Morgana a piece of paper as she said, "TJ from Gerald's called to say he had to reschedule until next week and Lexi Handson asked to have her appointment moved up this Tuesday because her father has her booked onto a flight to Mexico. Also your doctor said she called your personal mobile and couldn't get through and she didn't want to leave a voice mail so she asked if you would call her back immediately."

Morgana nodded but she was barely taking it all in, "Okay, thank you Mithian." She took the piece of paper with the messages and headed for the elevator. When she stepped inside, she pressed her thumb into the fingerprint reader and pressed the floor for her office. Normally she had to wait until she was alone—or with someone of the same level of security clearance—before she could head up to her floor level but today she had gotten lucky. Completely empty elevator. Well, considering where she'd been today, lucky was all dependant on a person's perspective.

She managed to get to her office within the next five minutes, shoving the piece of paper with the messages into her bag. Adjacent from her office was where the assistant managers—Elena and Vivian—worked in a sharing room, which they could not be more unhappy about, but Morgana was Head Manager and she got the biggest office. She was slowly but surely working her way up to CEO, if only Uther would step down and let her take over, but she secretly knew that Uther would only allow Arthur to take over from him if he ever were to take a step back from the company in the first place, which was highly unlikely.

Morgana ignored Vivian's shrieks of complains as she strode into her office and slammed the door shut. She collapsed into her chair, groaning and rubbing her temples. She was in _no_ mood to deal with any of Elena and Vivian's fights today. She was this close to firing both of them and hiring new blood.

She was half way a proposal for a new ordering system on her computer when her mobile phone started to buzz. Eyes still on her computer screen, she leaned over her chair towards her jacket as her hand fished around in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and without even looking at the caller ID, answered annoyedly, "What?"

"_Oh. Bad time?"_

Morgana instantly smiled. It was Merlin. She shook her head, then realised he couldn't exactly see her. "No," she insisted, "Just having one of those days. Uh, how are you?" Outside, she was trying to act calm and collected, but on the inside, she was freaking out, overjoyed that Merlin hadn't even waited twenty hours since their last encounter to call. That had to be a good sign, right?

"_I'm good. I know we just saw each other last night but I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch today?"_

"Lunch?" Morgana glanced at her workload, biting her lip. Usually, she skipped lunch because she never had time but if Merlin was offering lunch... She suddenly wanted to have lunch. She internally groaned. Was Arthur right? Was she changing because of Merlin? Or was she always meant to be like this and Merlin was just her catalyst that spurred her on?

"_Yes. Lunch. It's this meal between breakfast and dinner. Some people do it. We don't have to..."_

"Lunch sounds great," she said quickly, unable to stop smiling. It looked like she had a coat hanger in her mouth. It was almost pathetic and she knew it. "Do you know Essetir's? It's this cute little French place just round the corner from Camelot. I could meet you there at half one?"

"_Yeah, I know it. I used to work there when I was in university. I'm sure they'll be happy to see me back. Can't wait, see you then."_

"Bye," Morgana hung up. She opened her daily planner and scribbled 'Lunch with Merlin' in her neatest handwriting. She vainly wondered if she should go home and change first, possibly in something a little less... formal, but she would be returning to work afterwards and her level of professionalism was paramount. That was about the only good thing Uther ever taught her.

She picked up her office phone and pressed the number one to be redirected to the assistant managers room. Elena was the one to pick up. She was always the one to answer the phone first.

"I need you to get me a reservation for Essetir's at half one," Morgana said into the phone, "Hold my calls while I'm gone."

"_Of course Miss le Fay. What shall I say on the account record; business or pleasure?"_

Morgana frowned, pausing for a moment to think over her answer. "Pleasure," she said decidedly.

**::**

* * *

Morgana brightened as the figure of Merlin came into her peripheral view. She had ordered one glass of wine and was mulling it over with sliced pieces of baguettes in the little French bistro when her date finally arrived, five minutes late. He looked flushed in the cheeks but his shoulders were pulled back; a sign he was innately relaxed.

"I'm so sorry," he said hurriedly as he approached the table. Before sitting down across from her, he reached across and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. Morgana smiled to herself. He'd kissed her on the cheek as he left her apartment last night; he was one of those true gentlemen. He added, "I left early I swear but there was a traffic jam on fifth and ninth."

"It's fine," Morgana assured him, "I was a little surprised you called. Isn't there like a three day rule?"

"For calling?" Merlin frowned, his face quizzical. "I don't do conventions."

Her lips pouted slightly, "Me neither."

The waiter with the nametag of 'Billy' walked over to the table with his notepad open and his pen at the ready. "Hi there, can I take your order?"

"I'll have the pan fried seabass and steamed new potatoes with lemon beurre blanc," Morgana said without even looking at the menu. She took a sip of her wine.

Billy the waiter nodded promptly and began to scribble down her order. He glanced at Merlin, ready to take his order too.

"The wild mushroom rocket risotto please, hold the parmesan," Merlin replied, "And a glass of sparkling water."

Morgana watched the waiter walk away before she looked at Merlin and said, "So you really used to work here? Because I love this place."

Merlin nodded, smiling at her, "Yes," he replied, "Yeah, I really used to work here."

"These coincidences keep happening to us," Morgana stated lightly, "We both knew Gaius, we both grew up with him, and yet we still didn't meet. Not that I blame him for that. Gaius probably didn't want Uther anywhere near you."

Merlin shifted suddenly, "Really? Why's that?"

"Are you kidding?" she said, "Uther's poison, even to his own son. He rules Arthur's life, he tells him what to do, what to wear, what to say. As much as Gaius is loyal to Uther, he knows himself that Uther would somehow find a way to destroy everything good."

"That's sad," Merlin replied, not sure what else to say. He glanced at Morgana, wondering what her childhood after her father's death was like but unable to ask. Whenever she talked about the past, a little sparkle died from her eyes. He let out a deep breath and asked instead, "So, what did you do today? Anything... eventful happen?" Subtly was never his strong point.

"Uh," Morgana picked up her glass of wine, "No. Nothing... eventful," she downed a large gulp, remembering the incident she'd had earlier that day with the rugged man who'd been following her. She might have mentioned it to Merlin, but then she'd have to explain to him where she was going and why she didn't want to be followed. It was just easier if he didn't know. She asked, "How was your day?"

Merlin wasn't sure what he expected from her, but he was a little upset she didn't trust him enough to tell him. He knew she had secrets but he only wanted to know those secrets if she was ready to tell him. He said quickly, "It was good, a little busy, but good. I like taking over Gaius's workshop, it's nice to help."

"I'm sure it'll be good practice when he retires and leaves you the business," Morgana said lightly.

Merlin blinked suddenly, "What?"

"Well, I just meant that, if Gaius is quitting from Camelot, then eventually he'll retire from his own company and then assuming, he'll leave it to you," she replied.

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Merlin said quietly. He hadn't ever assumed that Gaius would leave him his business. He didn't ever think his old mentor friend would be retiring in the first place. Once Uther got what he deserved and Gaius recovered to full health, he would return to work. At least, that's what Merlin thought anyway.

"Sorry if I offended you," Morgana sat up straight, "I just thought that, considering you and Gaius are so close..."

"No, it's fine," Merlin shook his head, "You didn't offend me, don't worry. I just hate thinking about a time where Gaius won't be... working. I've only ever known him working. I've only ever known him healthy," inside, he could feel his anger bubbling to the surface again. The _injustice_. The _betrayal_. The fact that Uther put Gaius's life in jeopardy. He sighed sharply, hiding his balled fists under the table.

Merlin checked his phone discreetly. If Gwaine had stuck to his plan, Morgana would be called away from the table any second now, but Gwaine was always five minutes late to everything. Like Merlin. It was one of the few qualities they had in common.

"Are you okay? You seem distracted," Morgana commented, at the same that Billy the waiter returned to the table with nothing but Merlin's glass of sparkling water.

Billy placed the glass on the table next to Merlin and said to Morgana, "I'm sorry, Miss le Fay but someone's on the phone for you."

Morgana pushed aside her napkin and glanced at Merlin apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I'm sure it's just the office. I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Merlin assured her as he watched her go. He glanced around the bistro, making sure that nobody was overtly watching him, before he subtly reached under the table and pulled her chair closer to his. Then he slipped his hand into the jacket pocket of her coat that was hung over the back of the chair and felt around. It was by pure luck that he just so happened to get the pocket that contained her phone.

When he pulled her phone out, he realised that she'd turned it off, for their date, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. That he was important enough for her to turn off her phone was a little... ego boosting for him, which of course he loathed instantly about himself. It shouldn't be ego boosting for him. If she knew what he was going to do considering Uther's business, she definitely wouldn't be turning off her phone for their lunch dates. They definitely wouldn't be on any dates at all.

Merlin knew he had to act fast before she came back and saw him with her phone, but at the same time, if she had a password on her phone, he couldn't get to those incriminating photos and save Gwaine. And even if he did delete those pictures, she'd know someone had tampered with her phone and eventually put two and two together. And then it came to him; what he had to do. It wasn't something he wanted to do either, but it was his only choice.

He put her phone on the ground and rammed the heel of his shoe into her phone. It cracked immediately under his weight but just to be sure, he drove his heel into it again, just to make sure it was completely beyond repair. Then he pushed her chair back into it's place and threw her phone under the table onto the floor. He cleared his throat, straightened up in his chair and took a sip of his sparkling water.

The sight of Morgana walking back towards him nearly made him lose his breath. She was so stunning and even though he was sure that she knew that, he couldn't help but want to tell her, over and over and over again, just to make sure she really knew, how truly beautiful and breathtaking she was. Not just on the outside, on the inside as well.

"Sorry about that," Morgana sat down on her chair.

"No problem, is everything okay?" Merlin asked, his face concerned.

"There was nobody on the line," Morgana shook her head lightly, "My office is clearly not as competent as I would like to think they are."

"If you think there's a problem then you should phone them back," Merlin commented, "I would hate to distract you from your work."

"Definitely not," she smiled at him, "I'm sure everything's fine."

Billy the waiter returned to the table carrying a plate of food in either hand. He lightly laid it down in front of them and asked, "Can I get you any sauces or dips?" he was just about to leave when Morgana and Merlin declined his offer.

"Did you hear that?" Merlin asked suddenly. Billy the waiter stopped, looking at the couple.

"Hear what?" Morgana frowned.

"I could have sworn I heard a crack, on the floor," Merlin murmured, his eyebrows creased. Internally, he hated himself for what he was about to do, but it had to be done.

Billy the waiter glanced down at the floor, his jaw slacking slightly.

"Is something the matter?" Morgana asked. She followed his gaze and gasped when she noticed her crushed and cracked phone on the floor in front of their table. "My phone!" she cried, picking up what was left of her iPhone.

"I am so sorry," Billy's cheeks flushed, "Oh my god, Miss le Fay, I am so, so sorry. I swear it was an accident, I didn't see it, I didn't even feel anything, or hear anything—"

"It's fine, honestly," Morgana said, trying to calm the flustered waiter, "It was an accident. Please don't start crying."

"I'll see to it that your meal is free," Billy said, his eyes full of tears. "Once again, so sorry," he practically trembled as he walked away from them and back to the kitchens.

"Is there no way to salvage it?" Merlin asked, hating that he'd had to let an innocent waiter take the fall for something that wasn't even his fault. He was so going to hell when he died.

"I doubt it," Morgana sighed, "It's not the phone I'm worried about, I have insurance but... I had a lot of files on there."

"Oh yeah?" Merlin frowned, his curiosity crossing from the tone of merely curious to just plain intentionally invested. "Anything important?"

Morgana stared at him for a moment, and something indescribable flickered through her eyes. Distrust? But then she forced a smile onto her face and it was gone. Her walls were back up and Merlin still couldn't read her properly. "Nothing I can't retrieve," she told him.

"That's good," his stomach twisted anxiously. That was most definitely _not _good.

"What are you doing tonight?" Morgana asked him suddenly, and the question seemed so out of place in their conversation.

"I might visit Gaius tonight," Merlin replied.

"That's good," she quipped back, "Give him my best."

"I will," he said.

For some unknown reason, they ate the rest of their lunch in silence.


	10. The Dark and Twisted

**A/N:** Hope everyone had a good Christmas Day! Review?! X

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Nine**

_The Dark and Twisted_

**::**

Arthur was in his kitchen, sitting at the table over a mass of paperwork, which he was not happy about. Beyond his frustrations, he'd opened up a bottle of beer—which was hardly professional—and only taken a sip of it. He wasn't even half way finished his work when his sister stormed into his apartment and started to raid his cupboards.

"I have to break it off with Merlin," Morgana said as she strolled into Arthur's apartment.

"Hold up," Arthur finally released the grip on his pen. He stretched his arms and then his hands, hearing the familiar click of his index finger bone. He said, "What did you just say? You want to stop seeing Merlin, the one you were literally _dancing_ over like two days ago?" he continued to watch Morgana shift through his cupboards. "What, did you find out he was a rumba dancer and got scared? Does he have a fear of chocolate? Did he purposely try and imply he was a serial killer because I've had that happen to me before and—"

"You were right," Morgana interrupted him, "I'm not ready for a relationship, or a commitment or anything like that. I..." she sighed, "I'm always going to have trust issues, you were right. It's just who I am."

"Normally what I say is solid and valid but on that occasion," Arthur replied, "I was drunk, I was an ass, you shouldn't have listened to me. I don't know anything about commitment or being faithful or any of that crazy adult shit. Morgana, I still can't work the kettle! I can't sleep in the dark and when a girl asks me out, I'm literally already thinking of ways that I can blow her off if she doesn't look good naked. I'm definitely _not_ someone you should be listening to."

Morgana stopped rifling through Arthur's cupboard when she came across his secret stash of chocolate. She opened the tin and sat down across from him, indulging in food she hadn't ate in what felt like years. "I freaked out," she murmured, shaking her head, "I just... freaked out. And it wasn't like a subtle freak out, I mean, he could tell, I was freaking out."

"You're freaking out right now," Arthur reached out and grabbed some chocolate from his secret stash tin, "Just take a deep breath and tell me what actually happened."

"We went to lunch," Morgana stole his hardly touched beer from the table, "And everything was fine until the stupid waiter broke my phone. And... I had a lot of things on my phone. Mother related things, you know and... when Merlin asked me what was on my phone, I froze. I couldn't tell him. I literally couldn't find anything in me that wanted to tell him about her. I mean, I know, we've only had two dates and known each other less than a week but... I got scared. What if I never trust him? What if I never want to trust him? It's just easier this way. I'll tell him I'm too busy to see him again and—"

"You took him to the aquarium," Arthur interrupted her.

"So?" Morgana frowned.

"It took you a month before you told me where you usually disappeared off to," Arthur explained, "And yes, you don't really know Merlin, but you still showed him the aquarium. If you really didn't want to trust him, then I don't think you would have done that."

Morgana fell into silence, and she let out a breathy sigh.

"I'm sensing there's more to this than just a guy," Arthur said suddenly.

"I saw her today," she whispered, "I saw my mother."

Arthur rubbed a hand over his face, shocked. "Wow. Morgana, that's—wow."

"Yeah," she agreed, leaning back into her chair.

"Did she...?" he asked.

"No," Morgana shook her head, "No, she didn't."

"I'll get us a bottle of wine," Arthur said suddenly.

**::**

* * *

Merlin walked into Gaius's hospital room with a bag slung over his shoulder. Gaius was sitting up, the hospital table slotted into the bed so that his old mentor's elbows were leaning on it as he completed all the cross word puzzles with his favourite ink pen.

"You better be carrying my release forms," Gaius said lowly with a raised eyebrow. He put down his crossword puzzle and looked at Merlin.

"You're not getting discharged anytime soon," Merlin said with a mischievous smile, "I brought you some fresh clothes and more books. Gwen's gonna try come up after her shift ends and she needs to know if you want anything."

"A nice red steak, that's what I want," Gaius snapped irritably, "I want fried chips and a bottle of beer and a cigarette!"

"You don't smoke," Merlin laughed again.

"I know," Gaius grumbled, "But suddenly, everyone's treating me like I'm going to snap. I've lived eighty years, Merlin, I've survived worse things than a minor heart attack, I don't need these Doctors and nurses treating me like I'm a repaired toy about to break again! I'm not even allowed to watch certain TV programs because the Doctors think I might get too excited! It's ridiculous."

"They're taking good care of you," Merlin sat down on the bedside chair, "The company is doing just fine. Everyone misses you and they signed this giant card for you to get well soon, but I left it at the office by mistake, I forgot, I'll bring it up tomorrow, or Gwen will."

"No rush Merlin," Gaius said softly, "I'm well aware that people care for my welfare," he smiled at his young apprentice. After a tense pause, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Merlin, who was unaware that his facial expressions held anything about sincerity, looked at Gaius with a slight frown. "What do you mean? I'm fine, you're fine."

"Oh you're not fine," Gaius murmured, "I've seen the looks of many men, some guilty, some innocent, some tortured, some ignorant. But I know enough of the world to know when someone is not _fine_. Tell me Merlin, I can take it. I'm strong enough."

Merlin's shoulders slumped slightly. His lunch with Morgana earlier had ended on a sour note – and for the life of him, he couldn't work out why. Had she seen through his facade? Had she been able to detect a glimmer of glee in his tone at her broken phone? Had he ruined everything—Gwaine's plan, his potential feelings, Gaius's future—because he hadn't been able to mask his own festering emotions?

"There's a girl," Merlin started, "That I like, and I think she likes me too, I hope she does. It's early, nothing serious... Yet. But it's complicated, there's things to consider. She's head strong and vulnerable and I'm messed up and optimistic. Too optimistic for someone like her, I think."

Gaius chuckled, "If there's one thing to be said about your generation Merlin, you all seem to have a thing for acting like the smallest things in the world are the biggest! Back in my day, if you liked a girl, you just asked her out and went steady! Then came marriage and children and old age, like it should. Nobody sat around pondering their feelings and weaknesses and all the reasons it shouldn't work! We just did it, and hoped for the best!"

Merlin refused to question Gaius about his own love life, ask his old friend why he didn't have a wife, if it really was just too _easy _for two people to jump into the ring together, blind and unaware.

"I know you don't think I have some expertise on this matter," Gaius added, "But I do. I had a girl once. A long, long time ago. And she was the light of my life, and I regret all those days that I never told her how much I liked her. How much I loved her. So just do it, Merlin. Go tell your girl that you're ready and that you want it to work. The only person you'll have to blame in the end is yourself."

"You're right," Merlin whispered, eyes wide. His old friend _was_ right. He wasn't just going to let Morgana get away from him, not when she was all his could think about.

"Yes, I am," Gaius said proudly, "Now go. Go on, Merlin. Stop wasting your time on an old man like me and get out of here."

"But I only just got here," Merlin protested.

"I've still got Gwen coming up, haven't I?" Gaius retorted, "I'm hardly alone, Merlin. Just go! Go before it's too late."

"When you're healthy, I'm gonna buy you a big red steak," Merlin promised as he was already heading to the door.

"I'm going to hold you to that!" Gaius cried after him.

**::**

* * *

Morgana was knee deep in plans for the opening of Albion in three week's time with a bottle of red wine when the front door went. She sighed, pushed back her chair and walked through her hallway to her door, almost a little light headed and tipsy. Maybe she shouldn't have been drinking with Arthur as well earlier. She stopped short when she looked through the peep hole and saw Merlin outside her door in her landing.

Morgana hesitated. She didn't want to have to deal with Merlin right this very second, she thought she'd at least have another couple of days at the least, but here he was, hours after their rather weird lunch date. She sighed and began to unchain her door. When she swung the door open, he looked at her like he was expecting her to slam the door in his face. She stared, admiring his lanky frame and broad shoulders. He was so tall, but for some reason at that moment in time, he looked so tiny and vulnerable.

"Hi," he said lamely.

"Hey," she leant against her doorway.

"Can I come in?" Merlin asked.

Morgana ignored her better judgment and moved aside so Merlin could enter her apartment. They trailed to the living room after one another and when they reached the living room, she had her cardigan wrapped around her front tightly, looking almost a little scared.

"So today really sucked," Merlin blurted out.

Morgana couldn't help but laugh slightly, "Yeah," she agreed, "Yeah, it really did."

"I keep thinking about it, over in my head," he continued, "Was it something I did? It was weird, wasn't it? It was... weird."

"It was all me," Morgana confessed lightly, "I... have a hard time opening up to people about my life. It may not seem like it, but I don't trust strangers I just meet. I made an exception with you and the aquarium but that's because I was drunk and wanting to piss Uther off and a little bit high... on you. It's not something I usually do. I'm not one of those girls who needs a man in her life to feel complete. I don't need someone to trust. I get on better when I don't trust people, because then they can never let me down."

"You don't wanna trust me?" Merlin asked her softly.

"I do," Morgana nodded, "And there's the problem."

"Wait, there's a problem?" he frowned.

Her nostrils flared suddenly and without warning, "Yes! Yes, there's a problem! I don't do this, I never do this kind of stuff. I'm not a Mary Sue, I don't want a white picket fence and a big yellow house! If I never get that, that's fine with me! But then I met you and maybe I wanted that, for like a second—for like a minute, I wanted to be that girl in those stupid romcom films that everyone adores. The sad little junior high loner who wants to become a mother right out of high school with the _only_ guy she's ever been with. When I met you, I wanted to trust you but it's just not... in me. Can you understand?"

"Of course I can understand but that doesn't mean I agree," Merlin snapped, "You can learn to trust people, you can learn to trust me. You can, if you just _want_ to. If you don't wanna do this, then just tell me. Don't try and make up some excuse for why you can't open up to people."

"If that's what you honestly think, then you don't understand," she fumed, "This isn't a choice, Merlin! I'm damaged goods, I'm one of those people that sits at home on Friday night and likes it. I'm one of those sad, angry, annoyed people who mock all the other happy little couples. I'm not someone likable. I'm just _me_."

Merlin stared at her for the longest of moments. He was heaving, from anger, from pain, from the heat of the argument. And then he said, "I used to steal things."

"What?" Morgana frowned.

"Remember when you asked me what kind of stupid teenage things I used to do and I didn't tell you? Well, now I am. I used to steal things. I used to shop lift, not because I was poor, not because I wanted attention but because I wanted the adrenaline, the rush, the need to feel alive. And I used to smoke, cigarettes that is, not drugs. But now I don't anymore, because Gwen forces me to eat one every time she smells it on me," he was full on rambling.

Morgana had frozen in place, just staring at him.

His rambling continued, "And I have this cat, Kilgharrah. I hate him, he's a horrible, evil, nasty little cat, a stray really, but he stays with me, so I stay with him. My first girlfriend already had a boyfriend when I met her and he put me in the hospital. He stabbed me, two inches away from my appendix," he lifted his top and showed her the scar.

Her eyes dropped over his pale skin, darkening.

"I'm scared of cockroaches, like deathly, deathly terrified of them," Merlin swallowed, "I mean, they're weird and they can still walk around with their head cut off, it's just not _natural_. And my mother's a drunk! I was the only one who knew, until Gaius and... now you. She started when my dad left, at first it was nothing, just a small drink here and there and then it became her entire life. Anything I did, anything I do now just goes unnoticed by her. She's forgotten everyone of my birthdays since I turned fourteen. I haven't visited her in years and every single day I'm terrified I'm gonna get that phone call... Letting me know she choked on her own vomit or fell down the stairs or wrapped her car around a pole."

Morgana's lips parted slightly.

"Oh and I'm allergic to nuts," he added, taking a deep breath.

She frowned, "I... uh..."

"You have a hard time trusting people, I get that," Merlin said, "I have a hard time as well, but I did it. I just opened up and told you nearly everything that you can know about me. I did that to show you that you can trust me, if you want to."

Morgana rubbed a hand over her face, feeling exhausted. "Okay," she suddenly announced.

Merlin frowned, tugging his ear. "Okay?"

"I want you to meet my mother," she stated sporadically.

"Your mother?" he asked softly, "I thought you said your mother left?"

"She did," Morgana nodded, "Well, she didn't. It's complicated. Look, my life is difficult and _I'm_ not easy. You can meet my mother, you can decide for yourself if you really want to do this. I'm giving you an out. You keep saying you can do this, so, let's test that. And at the end of this, if you want an out, you can have one."

"I'm not going to want an out," Merlin said fiercely.

Morgana's lips moved upwards ironically. "We'll see," she said.

**::**

* * *

"Miss le fay," the woman at the receptionist desk said, "Twice in one day. Your mother will be happy to see you back. Is this a friend?"

Morgana and Merlin were standing in the lobby of a well known London building at the receptionist desk. It was almost completely night, the sky darkening outside.

"Yes. Merlin Ambrosius," Morgana said. The woman at the receptionist desk signed Merlin into the guest book and asked for his signature. Then, a security guard stepped over to them and scanned them with a miniature metal detector.

"There's no sign on the front of the building," Merlin said lightly, "You have to be scanned to get into this place?"

"It's for the safety of our guests and residents," the cheerful receptionist on the front desk said as she handed them two visitor pass badges, "Have a good visit now."

Morgana left her bag with the security guard and waited until another security guard walked over to them so he could lead them through the lobby towards the elevators.

"Is this a prison?" Merlin asked Morgana again as they stepped into the elevator.

"I wish," Morgana replied. "Feel free to leave anytime now," the elevator doors closed and the security guard escorting them pressed for the sixth floor. The elevator whirred upwards.

"Not happening," Merlin murmured. In less than a minute, the elevator doors opened and they stepped out on the sixth floor. The security guard followed them, and made Merlin all the more anxious.

They were lead down a narrow hallway but Morgana walked with purpose; she already knew where they were going. They finally stopped outside a door with the number 14A written on it.

"I'll be waiting right outside," the guard told them, "If you need any help, please just call."

Morgana nodded at him and walked inside. Merlin followed after her and almost stopped short at the sight before him. The room was quaint, the walls painted beige and the rest decorated in light colours. There was a bed in the middle of the room, and bars guarding the window. There was nothing in the room apart from a bed and a bedside chair, which was currently being filled by an older blonde haired woman.

She was just sat there, with a blank look on her face, staring a hole into the wall. Her legs were pressed together and her hands were rested on her lap. Her hair was perfect; not anything out of place. She looked like a portrait, just one of those perfect little portraits that seem so real, and it's only when you touch them that you realise how not real they are. The door clicked shut behind them and the woman still didn't move. Hadn't even acknowledged their presence.

"Mum," Morgana said softly, "It's me, Morgana. I brought someone to meet you. This is Merlin."

"Hello, Mrs le Fay," Merlin started tentatively.

Vivienne le Fay didn't move an inch, didn't even blink. It didn't even look like she was breathing.

"She can't hear you," Morgana sighed sadly, "At least, that's what I think."

"What's wrong with her?" Merlin looked around the minimal room. There was nothing personal, no photo frames, no books, no lights, no nothing. There was nothing personal, nothing to suggest that a human being ever lived here. Nothing to suggest that a human being ever left an imprint on that room. It was cold and sterile and unwelcoming.

"She has Catatonia," Morgana explained, "For twelve years, ever since my father's death, this psychiatric unit has been her home. She's just been like this, in a trance. Some days she'll turn her head and say something but that hasn't happened in a while. She's just trapped inside her mind, aging but not living."

Merlin's lips parted slightly.

"She had a nervous breakdown, after my father died," Morgana sat down on the bed, "She lost her mind, screamed horrible things, about Gaius and Uther and... She just lost her mind. Uther made sure she got the best care and after a while, the screaming and the fighting stopped. She just became catatonic, not moving, not even realising I was here. I haven't visited her in years. Arthur does, every month or so, he likes to talk to her, read her stories. The Doctors think she won't ever be the same again."

"I'm so sorry," Merlin took a step towards her. "Morgana, I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"This is what I deal with," Morgana said quickly, "I have a dead father, a crazy mother and I spend all my time either working or getting drunk with Arthur. Anything in between is just foreign to me. I'm all twisted inside, and broken, I don't work properly. You're Merlin, and shiny and optimistic, and I'm dark. Dark and twisty."

"I want dark and twisty," Merlin confessed.

"You want dark and twisty?" Morgana raised her eyebrow.

Merlin nodded back. "Yes. Yes. I want dark and twisty."

**::**

* * *

Uther was sitting at his office desk in his expensive London apartment when his assistant opened the door and said, "Sir? Myror's here to see you."

Uther waved a hand at him and Myror strode into the office, looking as cocky as ever.

"Do be quick," Uther demanded, "I have some _heavy paper_ work to do."

"Anyone you need getting rid of?" Myror took a seat across from Uther.

"Not today," the tyrant replied. He rubbed his left temple and asked, "What do you have for me?"

"Normally I wouldn't bother you with these petty rumours—"

"You're my Head of Security, Myror," Uther interrupted him, "But you better not be wasting my time."

"A black market informant told me of a plan in the works," Myror clasped his hands together, "A group—a very well oiled meticulous group—of conmen are going to rob the Albion on opening night. I could only get one name and when I asked around, nobody knew who it really was. There wasn't even a match on the police database."

"Then it's obviously an alias," Uther snapped, "Tell me. What's the name?"

"Emrys," Myror replied, "Somebody called Emrys is going to rob you."

**::**

* * *

Morgana and Merlin stepped out of the psychiatric unit and onto the cold crisp winter night. London was always so beautiful at Christmas.

"So?" Morgana asked him. "Do you still want an out?"

Merlin smiled at the sight of her rosy red cheeks. "I never wanted an out in the first place," he told her.

And then he took them both by surprise and pulled her flush against him. He pressed their foreheads together and slowly leaned in to kiss her. Her lips parted immediately, her hands grasping the back of his neck. His lips pressed against hers, moving with untold passion. Everything he was feeling was just flowing out of him and she was absorbing it.

"I'm in," he whispered suddenly against her mouth, "In case you didn't know."

"Good," she whispered, kissing him back.


	11. The Emrys Connection

**A/N:** Sorry I'm late updating! Had such a busy xmas/new year week, family commitments etc! Hope you all had a good christmas and hogmanay too! Let me know what you think? X

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Ten**

_The Emrys Connection_

**::**

When Gwen awoke that morning, she stumbled into her bathroom, washed her face and proceeded to the kitchen to make some coffee. She expected to see her best friend Merlin leaning against the counter, half awake as he tried to finish one cup of tea before he attempted a second. What she saw instead was definitely not Merlin. Not even slightly Merlin like at all.

Morgana le Fay was standing by the fridge, holding a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Her dark tresses tumbled over her shoulder as she idly browsed through an old magazine lying near by. Gwen froze in the doorway, still unseen by Morgana. Her eyes flickered over the dark haired beauty, realising that she was wearing Merlin's clothes – one of his old band t-shirts and a pair of short pyjama bottoms.

Gwen was unable to hide her smirk as she entered the kitchen, clearing her throat lightly. Morgana spun around, probably expecting Merlin, but her smile never faltered when she realised it was Gwen. Gwen greeted her warmly, "Good morning."

"Morning," Morgana replied, suddenly realising that she was just standing in the kitchen, wearing pyjama bottoms that barely covered her thighs. The top Merlin had given her last night wasn't so bad, but it wasn't exactly loose. She suddenly felt more self conscious than anything and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I didn't hear you and Merlin come in last night," Gwen commented slightly as she poured herself a cup of coffee, "That was probably a good thing, however." Gwen was never one to judge, but since Merlin had ribbed her about spending time with Arthur at the charity gala, she figured it was only fair to tease his latest interest.

Morgana looked down into her coffee, smiling to herself. She hadn't missed Gwen's implication but she wasn't going to explain anything or justify herself. She was a young adult, perfectly capable of making her own decisions; although Uther seemed to have a hard time dealing with this.

"So, how was your shift?" Morgana asked, remembering how Merlin had told her of Gwen's busy work schedule.

"The same old," Gwen yawned, stretching, "A couple of heart burn patients thought they were having heart attacks. You know, the usual."

"It must be very rewarding to help others who can't help themselves," Morgana added.

"It pays the rent," Gwen shrugged. She glanced at Morgana fully and said, "You don't have to make small talk with me. I'm sure you'd rather be getting back to Merlin."

"Well, it was great catching up," Morgana said a little too sarcastically as she left the kitchen, making a face as she went. She walked back towards Merlin's room and opened the door, seeing that he was still asleep in his bed.

She checked the spare phone she'd been using since hers was broken and saw that she had a message from Uther. Biting her lip to keep from laughing at a sleeping Merlin, she silently walked over to where her clothes from last night had been. She stripped quickly and pulled on her clothes, almost regretting having to leave Merlin's band t-shirt, which she had grown quite fond of. It smelled like him and she resisted the urge to bury her nose deep inside it and never let go.

When Morgana was finished dressing, she rolled her long hair into a high bun and glanced at Merlin, wondering whether to wake him before she left. She could leave a note by his bedside table, letting him know she was gone, but that just felt cheap, considering the connection they'd shared last night. She sat at the edge of his bed and gently shook his shoulder.

"Merlin," she said softly, "Merlin, wake up."

Merlin groaned in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open. He glanced up, his vision blurry, but he was able to make out Morgana looking over him. He rubbed his eyes and opened them fully, "Hey," he instantly beamed.

"Hey," she grinned back, blushing a little. "I have to go, Uther's called me into his office."

"Okay," Merlin sighed, a little disappointed, "Call me later?"

"Definitely," Morgana whispered, bending down to brush her lips against his, which turned out to be a big mistake because the second she touched him, she never wanted to let go. Eventually, she tore away from him and forced herself to stand up.

Merlin watched her leave his bedroom before he sat upwards, rubbing his sleepy face again. He sighed deeply, checking his phone and realising that Gwaine had left him messages. He'd gone to the hospital for his bruised ribs last night. Merlin couldn't help but laugh at that. He kind of wished that Morgana had kicked him harder, and then felt horrible for that thought.

He ignored Gwaine's messages and stood up, stretching. He reached over for the band t-shirt Morgana had been wearing and pulled it over his head, revelling in the left over warm and the fact that it smelled like her. He opened his bedroom door and prodded to the kitchen, finding Gwen sitting on the counter, browsing on her phone.

"Hey tiger," Gwen said sarcastically the moment she saw Merlin.

Merlin smiled, "Morning," he yawned.

"Big night last night, eh?" Gwen perked her eyebrows up at him.

"It wasn't like that," Merlin walked to the fridge. He opened the door and pulled out a cartoon of milk, "You know when couples have one of those really intense nights—"

"I'll bet it was intense—"

"—and you bond and connect and share? Well, we had that. We bonded. It was perfect. She has the cutest sleeping face."

"Hang on," Gwen slipped off the counter, "Are you really telling me that you two didn't have sex last night?"

Merlin nodded, confused by her confusion. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm telling you. Why, what's the problem?"

"But she was half naked in our kitchen, wearing your clothes," Gwen replied.

"She couldn't crush her clothes," he said. "Besides, I liked her wearing my clothes. She never looked more beautiful."

"You really just slept together?" Gwen still seemed surprised.

"I'm taking this slow," Merlin replied, "Besides, after last night, there wasn't really a sexy mood. I just held her."

"Why? What deep dark secrets does Morgana le Fay hold?" Gwen joked, half expecting Merlin to laugh with her.

"Can't tell you," Merlin said apologetically, "But it's definitely not your run of the mill average life. She's pretty messed up. It's a good thing I am too."

"Yes, 'good' is the appropriate word to use for that," Gwen rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I've got a date with Lancelot tonight, just thought you should know."

"Don't ask him to hack my computer," Merlin warned her as he left the kitchen, "Because he can and will offer!"

**::**

* * *

Morgana hurried into Uther's office, relieved to see that her adoptive father hadn't arrived yet. Arthur was sat in one of the chairs with his planning diary open at a particular page as he continued his scribbled writing. She sighed and walked over to him, taking a seat beside him.

"Hey. Do you know why the hell we're here?" Morgana asked.

Arthur handed her a disposal cup of coffee, not glancing up from his writing yet. He said, "Good morning to you too. I have no idea, although I think my father might finally promote one of us. Hope it's me."

"Hope it's me," she quipped back, enjoying the burning sensation of hot coffee running down her throat. She half groaned and half yawned at the same time, still some residual sleep in the corner of her eyes.

Arthur finally stopped writing to glance up at her with narrowed eyes. "Did you shower this morning? Wait. Are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday?"

"Yes to the first and no to the second," Morgana bit back, but her flushed cheeks gave her away.

"Oh my god, you little sleaze!" he cried. Then, in a hushed whisper he said, "You and that apprentice guy hooked up last night!"

"Any louder? I don't think the man in the coma above us heard you," she snapped, glancing to make sure Uther wasn't behind them. "And no, actually, we didn't. And his name is Merlin."

"Then why are you wearing the same clothes, and why are there cat hairs all over your jacket?" Arthur stared accusingly at her.

"If you must know, I took him to meet my mother last night. Before you start screaming about privacy, I decided I could trust him, and it turns out I can. We went back to his, and had this amazing talk. We were honest with each other and spent the whole night exchanging stories. It was beautiful, and then we fell asleep together. Just sleep. The hairs are from his horrible little cat, who literally hates me for no reason, but I don't care."

"You slept?" Arthur couldn't hide the look of shock from his face, "Really? All you did was... sleep?"

"Yes, Arthur," Morgana snapped, "I'm not the whore you clearly think I am. I have to know a guy before we get intimate."

Arthur smirked knowingly, "Really? That's the story you're sticking with?"

Morgana stared back at him and then sighed, "Okay fine. I came onto him and instead of jumping my bones, we jumped into his bed and fell alseep."

"And there is it," he closed over his planning diary to give the conversation his full attention. "See, I _know_ you. I know you can barely contain your lady boner when you like a guy. So... He really didn't bite? Could this be like that time when you dated that guy from Spain and he was—"

"Merlin is straight," Morgana interrupted him, "I mean, trust me, he's _straight_. When I woke up this morning, my boner wasn't the only one showing—"

"And we're done with this conversation!" Arthur interrupted her, covering his ears in disgust.

"You asked," she shrugged.

"I did _not_ ask for details," he scrunched his face up.

"What details might those be?" Uther's commanding voice asked as he entered his office. He strode towards his desk and took a chair behind it, staring across at his two prodigies.

"Well," Arthur began, smirking, "Morgana was just telling me that she spent her night in the arms of—"

"My couch," Morgana cut him off, glaring at him, "I was working on the plans of Albion's opening last night and I just fell asleep, woke up with a crick in my neck."

"As one does," Uther replied promptly. "Anyway, I called you both in here today because my Head of Security found out some slightly disturbing news, about a group of conmen who are planning on targeting Albion on opening night. Going to rob it."

Arthur and Morgana both exchanged a look.

"What can we do about this, father?" Arthur asked worryingly.

"Do you want to push back the opening date?" Morgana added.

"Absolutely not," Uther smoothed down the front of his coat, "I'm not going to change my plans just because of a group of hoodlums. I'm Uther Pendragon, they can't touch my business, but you both need to be meticulous, do you understand? I can't have a group of low lives con _me_. Myror's going to keep me updated but he could only get me one name, and even that's a no-go; an alias."

"Well, what's the name?" Arthur asked impatiently.

"Emrys," Uther said with a scowl, "Does it ring any bells?"

Morgana and Arthur both shook their heads frowning. They'd never heard of any 'Emrys' before in their lives.

"Well, anyhow," Uther continued, "I'm only telling essential personnel; yourselves, Myror and Catrina."

"Can we trust her?" Morgana suddenly asked.

"Of course _I_ can," Uther snapped annoyedly, "I vet my company completely. Maybe _you_ should both be more careful with who you choose to consort with."

"Of course, father," Arthur nodded. Morgana did nothing but sulk slightly.

"You may leave," Uther finally told them. Just before Morgana and Arthur left his office, he said, "Oh and Morgana? Perhaps you could shower before you return to work? Keep it professional and everything."

"Of course, Uther," Morgana forced a strained smile onto her face.

"That's you told," Arthur muttered under his breath.

"Shut up," she growled back.

**::**

* * *

Merlin was sitting in The Ealdor's basement with Gwaine at the round table, both holding glasses of alcohol in their hands. Merlin had finally returned Gwaine's messages and agreed to meet at their favourite hang out. Gwaine had come up with a basic plan on how they were going to rob Albion's casino The Crystal Cave and steal the Crystal of Neahtid.

However, instead of inviting the whole gang round, Merlin requested that it just be them. He had to be careful what he said about Morgana around anyone, it was just easier to safeguard against one person than a whole gang of them. Especially when Gwen was secretly rooting for him to drop this whole con to begin with and be honest with Morgana.

"I broke her phone, so hopefully she forgot about those pictures she took of you," Merlin said to Gwaine.

"Thanks, buddy," Gwaine replied, "I knew I could count on you. I figured out a way for us to get a high security clearance fingerprint for the elevators. If you bag a glass that Morgana's used within the hour, then I can dust it and transfer her prints onto a gelatin thumb slip that will have her unique fingerprint. Getting past the lobby and into the elevator to the lower base will be no problem if we have the thumb slip."

"Okay, so we've figured out the elevators. What next? Once you reach the lower base, there will still be security cameras and guards," Merlin said.

"Lancelot can mess with the security cameras," Gwaine chugged down his alcohol, "The guards can be neutralized with Nimueh's spraying gas. Completely harmless of course, she uses it on men when she wants to stop acting like a whore and start robbing them. She's even used it on me, once or—"

"Too much information," Merlin grimaced.

"The journey to the vault will be ten minutes, as long as we know where we're going, which is why I need you to get an updated copy of Albion's floor plan," Gwaine continued, "I'm sure Morgana will have a copy lying around in her office or apartment. Maybe even her bag?"

Merlin internally scowled. He didn't feel particularly great about snooping around in Morgana's personal things anymore than he did about lying to her.

"In regard to the guards protecting the vault, Gilli thinks whoever is sneaking to the vault should wear guard uniforms under their clothes," Gwaine said, "That way, before they reach the vault, they can discard of their clothes and pretend to be one of Albion's guards, coming to 'relieve' them of their shift."

"But the vault door is still four feet thick of aluminium metal reinforced by five hundred tons of steel and not to mention the voice recognition system. If we can't get that then the lock mechanism won't budge and we won't get in," Merlin said.

"Obviously we can rule out drilling or breaking in," Gwaine agreed, "I've been wondering if we could somehow record Uther Pendragon's voice and then play it back into the intercom at the vault."

"But we'd still have to know what the special password is," Merlin added.

"Well we still have time to work on that," Gwaine said, "So, how's Gaius? I would have checked in on him yesterday but you and I both know he wouldn't have wanted to see me. I probably would have given him a second heart attack."

"Probably," Merlin agreed. Gaius had never approved of Merlin's old con ways and he especially didn't like Gwaine. Merlin said, "Gaius is recovering nicely. They think he'll be released next week if his results come back alright."

"How's it going with Morgana?" Gwaine asked suddenly. "Did you get anything useful yet?"

Merlin shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, it's going good. Nothing useful however... yet."

"Well, keep me posted," Gwaine said, "Oh hey, did you ever find out where Morgana went yesterday?"

"Nope," Merlin's face was completely devoid of emotion, "No. Didn't find out."

"Oh well," Gwaine titled his head, "There's always tomorrow."

**::**

* * *

Merlin stood outside Morgana's apartment door. He'd pressed the bell a moment ago, waiting with his hands in his pockets until he saw Morgana. The door opened and Morgana appeared with a smile on her face. She moved aside to let him inside.

"I am so happy to see you," she said, pressing him up against the door the second it was closed. Her hands snaked around him, pulsing under his skin. Morgana couldn't even pause for thought; she just pressed her lips into his and felt his part at the pressure.

Merlin's hands slipped down to her waist, gripping her tightly. His tongue darted into her mouth, desperate to feel even closer to her. He'd hadn't expected her late night text for him to come over would actually turn out to be a booty call, but he figured he should have known.

"Your day went well, I take it?" Merlin gasped into her lips.

"Actually," Morgana began to lead him down her hallway, still entangled around him, "my day wasn't that great. Wanna make me feel better?"

"Right now?" he half slurred, half moaned. Her lips were trailing down his neck, grazing her teeth over his sensitive skin and almost leaving him confused.

Morgana smirked, "Well yeah, that was my plan."

Merlin's eyes closed. He was torn; on the one hand, he didn't want to have sex with her under false pretenses, but on the other hand, it wasn't really false pretenses anymore. He didn't think it had ever been false pretenses. He'd liked her before he even knew who she was. He'd liked her even though he knew it was just supposed to be strictly business.

"Maybe we should take this slow," he mumbled suddenly.

Morgana stopped kissing his neck to look up into his eyes, "For me, waiting this long is slow. Don't worry, I think you're going to like what I have underneath."

Merlin groaned at the thought as she started attacking his lips again, running her fingers through the bottom of his hair. They bypassed her bedroom by mistake and ended up in the living room, collapsing on the couch, her hips rocking into his as she straddled him.

If she kept this up, he wouldn't be able to try resisting any longer. He'd wanted her in every meaning of the word since he'd first laid eyes on her.

"I just feel like we should share something about our day," Merlin tried hopelessly one more time. Her fingers were creeping down at his belt by the time he choked out that last part.

"Well," Morgana said in between open mouthed kisses against his bare shoulder that was driving him insane. Even his toes were curling in at the hot sensation of her tongue against his skin, "Arthur thought I did the walk of shame because I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday... Everyone stared at me in the lobby like I was some pariah, that was fun. I got some work done at my office before my two crazy assistant managers pissed me off," she tilted her head slightly to look at him, "Is that enough information about my day?"

Merlin hissed in pleasure as her fingers started to dart under his t-shirt to press against his toned pale stomach. He said in between breaths, "My day was good, it started waking up to the sight of a beautiful angel."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Morgana laughed as she began to pry up the bottom of his shirt and press her lips against his muscles.

"It's a shame you had a bad day," he offered lamely, because he had nothing else to say. He couldn't find anything else to hold her off anymore and as time went on, he found he didn't want to. He knew he wasn't just using her for sex, or even just to get information on Uther's company. He had a connection with her and this was the first time he'd ever truly felt that way about a girl before.

"That's nothing," she murmured against his stomach, "Apparently there's some rouge group of conmen out there planning to target Albion's opening night."

Merlin froze under her touch, his eyes snapped wide open. He swallowed, the blood rushing to his ears, colouring his cheeks even more. His heartbeat thudded erratically at the thought of being found out. His body was flooding with adrenaline, his instinct to either fight or flight. He figured this kind of reaction was what animals experienced in the wild. Or of course, human beings under threat, like he felt at that moment in time.

"Are you okay?" Morgana noticed his sudden stillness. She glanced up, her lips red and swollen, her hair messy. She had never looked more sexy.

Merlin swallowed. Once his beating heart started to calm down, he realised logically that if she even _slightly_ suspected him, she wouldn't be on top of him on her couch, giving him torturous kisses against his abdomen. He said, "I'm okay. I just... I'm just shocked... to hear that."

"Yeah, Uther was pretty pissed off about it too," Morgana sighed, resuming her kisses on him, "All they got was some alias name."

His eyebrows perked upwards. "Really?" he asked drily, "W-what... was the alias?"

"Emrys," Morgana gasped against him, causing a thrill to go through him at the sound of her gasping _his_ surname in Welsh. Only Gwaine knew that Merlin used to go by Emrys in his old con days. At the same time, her hand travelled down and grabbed him through his jeans.

He jerked his body upwards, resting on his elbows as he tried to contain his mangled groan. "I am so screwed," he gasped through clenched teeth.

Unable to understand what he actually meant, Morgana smirked at him as her grip tightened. "Yes," she whispered, "That was the idea."


	12. The Declaration

**A/N: **Hi! A big thank you to the regular reviewers who've stuck with this story so far! The second I'm done writing this, I plan to go on a big reading/reviewing spree (Is it just me who can't read other FF's when writing one? Too many distractions!) _Warning_: sex scene ahead, please skim past it if it bothers you, it's not too graphic but my mind ran away from me when writing it. I tried to make it more sensual than smutty so if it's not hot enough, I am sorry. I tried!

Review?

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Eleven**

_The Declaration_

**::**

The tall lamp shattered to the floor as her bedroom door flew open. They stumbled into the room, lips smashing into each other in such a crazed frenzy that it was almost painful. The room was flooded in darkness but the moonlight from her window trickled inside and glistened over his pale face. All of a sudden, everything was heightened like never before. All she could smell was him; that woodwork scent that came from spending hours in a carpenter room building 3D models of drawing plans.

The air seemed to evaporate from around them; one minute there was a coolness about the atmosphere that naturally accompanied the moonlight, and then the next, the air felt sauna-like; hot and thick and _electric_. Like something that thrived in the darkness and dwelled in the dusty corners of unknown territory. There was a charge of static in every touch, every almost graze, every gasped breath.

Morgana felt a freeing notion about being entangled around him. Everything guarded about her was breaking down and claiming Merlin for her own. She had never wanted another human being more; it was more than a carnal desire or pent up lust; it was an ache deep inside, an addiction, a physical need, an ailment that could only be cured by ripping off his clothes and finding out just how much of his body was actually as pale as his face.

Merlin could feel her trying to lead them to her bed, but he planted his feet right where they were and held his ground. If she rubbed their hips together one more time, he wouldn't be able to carry on. His fingers slipped under her top, his stomach twisting when he felt how soft her skin was. He felt her lips pull away from his to gasp out loud when he trailed his hands from her back to her stomach. Morgana's nails dug into his shoulder as her teeth caught his bottom lip.

He bent his head in towards hers, intending to kiss her again, but she pulled back, smirking. She released his bottom lip and their breaths mingled together, chests panting. Their eyes connected and something passed between them. More than just a mutual attraction, more than just an insane urge to see the other naked, more than anything they'd ever experienced before. Maybe it was an understanding, of each other, of themselves. It felt like a transcendent moment occurring; something so powerful it was frightening and unwavering.

Her mind – usually racing at one thousand thoughts per minute – had suddenly slowed down so radically that there was just one thought there; one she wouldn't dare bring herself to acknowledge. It felt more monumental than it should have been. It should have just been about two consenting adults having sex. Instead, it felt more like an offering. Like something irrevocable. Like something she hadn't ever thought she was capable of.

His eyes were glistening in the dark and she was _sure_ he was feeling exactly the same way. No. No, she didn't want the bed anymore. She didn't want to be cuddled and caressed for the agonising fear that she might actually admit the one thought she didn't want to, out loud. Anybody who admitted _that_ thought out loud in the throes of it couldn't be one hundred percent sure they meant it, until the clear cut day of the morning.

The second he claimed her lips again, their frenzied attack on each other's clothes resumed itself like two primal animals in a race for dominance. His t-shirt was the first to go, and then her own joined his on the floor. He could tell she didn't want gentle and on instinct, he backed her up against her wall as his hands skimmed over her sides and upwards. Her chest heaved with pants, the familiar heat aching in the middle of her legs. His body came back over hers, his mouth colliding with hers once again.

Merlin thrust his tongue through her full lips, winding his one hand in her hair to feel the soft layers of her raven tresses. In the middle of his pent up emotions, a waft of her shampoo invaded his senses and all he could smell was pomegranates. All he wanted to eat now was a pomegranate; he could practically taste it on his tongue. The fragrance from her bare neck was Jasmine however but instead of clashing with the pomegranate like it should have, it only fueled Merlin on more.

He had to taste it. He pulled away from her lips and ran his tongue from her collar bone all the way up her neck. A mangled moan tried to escape her throat, her eyes clenching shut. She was almost done, on the every edge of breaking. The snap of her bra was the next thing she heard, and the hotness of Merlin's breath against her free breasts was the next thing she felt. He dragged his teeth across her left breast and bite her nipple in response to her razor sharp nails digging into his bare shoulders again. She could have drawn blood from him but he wouldn't have cared.

Merlin continued to press hot open mouthed kisses across her pale creamy breasts, smirking into her skin as he felt her writhe against him in pleasurable agony. This was the kind of torture she was definitely into. Morgana's knees were close to buckling, her only support being his body against hers. Then she felt his hands tear at her jeans button and zip. Her jeans and underwear were yanked down her legs, pooling at the bottom of her ankles. She kicked them off her and then grabbed his chin up to meet her face.

She brushed her lips slowly against his at first and then claimed them hungrily, her fingers moving down to his already open buckle and jeans. She could practically feel him pulsing against her; hot and hard and unforgiving. She freed him of his jeans, her hand wrapped around him. He stiffened under her touch, grunting. His forehead rested lazily against her shoulder, one hand on the wall, one hand on her hip. The moonlight's positioned had changed and it was now illuminating over both their naked chests. One flick of her wrist made him tremble slightly and he caught her hand roughly in his to stop any further movement.

He hooked a hand under Morgana's left thigh and wrapped it around his hip. He stepped closer towards her and pressed their hips together. Her head was almost faint with the pleasure that coursed through her stomach, twisting with agony. Her back against the cool wall was the only part of her body that wasn't on fire with the promise of him. She wrapped her arms around Merlin's broad shoulders and stared into his eyes. In the back of her mind, there was something she _knew_ she was forgetting but she was past the point of caring.

It was the highest point of their lust, the air swarming around them like a secluded blanket in a sea of darkness. Her hips bucked against his in her overwhelming ache for release. Grabbing her other leg to hoist around his hips, he swallowed thickly and pressed his forehead against hers. And then he thrust inside her, slamming them both into the wall with a renewed vigor. She half screamed under him, digging her nails into his sides. His legs wavered slightly, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other clinging to the wall.

It wasn't gentle or tender but it was passionate, full of raw emotions and pent up feelings. Her head thudded against the wall everytime he moved against her but she couldn't have cared less. All she wanted was him. She drove the backs of her heels against him, trying to make him fill all of her. Her warmth surrounded him completely as she writhed and let him bury his head in her neck. Choked gasps were leaving his mouth as he upped the pace, already feeling the familiar build up he knew would soon erupt.

Morgana clutched for the back of his head, unable to withhold her screams. Merlin continued to pound into her, enjoying the feel of her moving her hips to meet his thrusts. In the throes of it, Merlin realised he couldn't hold himself up anymore without risking dropping Morgana. Making sure her legs were securely around his hips, he grabbed her waist and made his intention known. She stopped her administrations as Merlin stumbled over to her bed and threw them down on it.

As he landed on top of her, he jerked forwards and almost caused her tightly wound coil to explode. Every sensation in her body was on fire and flooded with adrenaline. Blood pounded through her ears and she was unable to see anything but him. His set jaw told her that he was probably close to losing it completely. Their bodies molded together, unsure where one began and the other ended. His arms trembled where they were at either side of her head. His lips landed on hers in a desperate frenzy to feel like one.

Merlin hit a certain spot inside her and her coil finally tipped over the edge. Her body trembled with her release and she screamed under him, high on the sensations exploding inside of her like fireworks. A euphoria like this wasn't unusual for her, but sharing it with Merlin only made it more heightened. Clenching around him, her own vibrated climax spurred him into his and he struggled to keep himself from crushing her as he buried his head in her breasts. The only source of light in the room was the continued moonlight, that danced gracefully over Merlin's clear cut cheekbones.

He pulled out of her and slumped down beside her, breathless. Morgana gasped, her throat dry. She felt Merlin intertwine their fingers together and glanced over to him. Just staring at him, it was amazing what wonders they had just shared with each other, not saying anything at all. Simple truths were often exchanged in between the lingering silences, unconcealed and unburdened.

Merlin looked over to her and said, "That was..."

"Yeah," she finished for him, agreeing. He turned on his side and wrapped an arm around her. She turned into him so their faces were inches apart. His eyes fluttered shut, his fingers resting lightly on her cheek.

She watched him for a while, awestruck by his beauty and still a little dazed. When she was almost asleep, she heard him stir slightly. He said, in a dazed mumble, "I think I lo.. you."

Her eyes snapped open at this but he was already in the throes of sleep. She sat up, never feeling more naked or vulnerable. She then realised with a plummeting notion that she and Merlin hadn't used protection. She wasn't protected. With a sobering thought she realised, for the first time in her young years of being alive, she was utterly and completely defenseless.

**::**

* * *

"Merlin said 'I think I lo you!'"

"He said, 'I think I _lo_ you?'" Arthur stared incredulously at Morgana. He was sitting up in his bed with his messy hair and a half sleepy, half dazed expression on his face.

Morgana was standing at the foot of his bed, wearing what would usually be her gym clothes. She had wrapped her cardigan tightly around her body and was staring at Arthur with wide eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what he said. Now, what do I do?"

"It's half six in the morning," Arthur groaned, burrowing back into his covers, "Go away."

"Arthur!" she cried, "Come on! I've done lots of things for you. I didn't tell Uther about your recent night in jail or specifically _why_ you ended up there."

"I'm listening," he announced unhappily, yawning. "Make me understand. What did you do after he rather bizarrely said 'I lo you'? Oh my god, Morgana. Did you just leave him in your apartment? What if he steals something?"

"He's sleeping," Morgana shrugged. "And our apartments are a floor apart, Arthur, I hardly think he's going to leg it out of here with my plasma television and waffle maker," she sat on the side of his bed and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, "And it wasn't like a normal conversation. He said it when he was drifting off to sleep."

Arthur rubbed his eyes again. "Wait, what? Why would he say it when he was..." he trailed off, suddenly realising. He grimaced and rolled his eyes, "So you finally hit that?"

"Like a homerun," Morgana smirked.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Arthur replied, "You got the accidental sleep declaration. All guys do it, it's got something to do with the inability to process emotions during sex. He was probably so confused it just... came out."

"Well, I do like to leave my lovers _confused_," Morgana snapped, taking offense.

"You know what I mean," Arthur waved her off, "Dazed, confused, light headed. I'm not going to pat you on the back and say 'good game' but you know... Good game."

"So I shouldn't bring it up?" Morgana confirmed.

"Definitely not," he shook his head. "I bet you he won't even remember saying it when he wakes up."

"Okay," Morgana let out a deep breath, "You're right. It's too early for that and I'm just freaking out. Again."

"The only thing that really matters is safe sex," Arthur mumbled, closing his eyes again, "You know. No glove, no love."

Morgana forced a strained smile on her face. "Yep, completely agree."

Arthur never saw the dreaded grimace on Morgana's face as she left his bedroom.

**::**

* * *

When Morgana returned to her apartment, she heard faint noises in her kitchen and took a deep breath. She had secretly been hoping that Merlin would still be asleep so she could get ready for work and leave him a 'thanks for the sex' note, that would have been a little more sensitive than that. She just wasn't sure how she was going to handle this up and coming conversation without any influence of alcohol.

Maybe what she was really terrified of, was the fear that her own accidental declaration could have tumbled unwittingly from her lips last night. She took another breath and carried on down her hallway, passing her ajar bedroom door and making her way to the kitchen.

When Merlin turned around, she was left breathless. He was wearing his jeans and t-shirt but his hair was sticking up in different angles and his face was soft and unaware and like always, pale. He was standing by her coffee machine at the counter, browsing through her kitchen television to catch the news.

"Morning," he offered, clearing his throat.

"Good morning," she replied, her cheeks blushing at the memory of his mangled groans against her bare chest.

"I woke up and you were gone," Merlin started, unsure.

"Uh yeah," Morgana distracted herself by getting a glass from her cupboards, "Arthur forgot how to use his kettle again so you know... Sisterly duties and all."

Merlin stared at her, "He forgot how to use his kettle?"

She froze, grinding her teeth together behind her closed mouth. It was a little far fetched, for those who didn't exactly know Arthur. "Okay, the truth is, Arthur needed help getting this one night stand out of his apartment. I pretended to be his girlfriend, caused a scene. Pretty standard stuff."

"Wow, that's committed," he said.

"You should see some of the things Arthur's tried to make believable when I wanted my one night stands to leave," she suddenly laughed.

"Should I be expecting a visit from him any moment now?" Merlin asked.

"No," Morgana said quickly, "No, don't be silly. Last night was..." her eyebrows perked up and she smirked, "Fun."

"Yes," he agreed, "It was."

"But just to be clear," she started, "I don't usually have sex without condoms. Last night was an exception because I could barely think straight but... if we have sex again, there has to be a... glove, or something."

Merlin suddenly looked worried, "You're not—"

"I'm on the pill," Morgana assured him, "But you know... Just to be extra safe."

"Good idea," Merlin agreed. He paused for a moment and then crossed the distance between them, looping his hands around her waist. He pulled her in and leaned forwards until his face was inches away from hers. He whispered, "You can be honest with me. Are you really okay with what happened last night?"

Morgana froze. What was he talking about; what had happened between them last night or his half asleep declaration of love? "Whatever do you mean?" she asked coyly, her eyes fluttering under the power of his gaze.

"I know you have a tendency to pull away when whenever someone tries to know you," Merlin replied, "So... I just wanna make sure you don't feel the need to pull away."

In his embrace, there was absolutely no part of her that wanted to pull away. She shook her head, "I'm feeling good right here."

He leaned into her neck and pressed a kiss behind her ear; a spot last night that he'd found drove her particularly wild. She pressed her body against his and wove her arms around his neck.

"I really have to get ready for work," Morgana moaned, distracted.

"Me too," Merlin said huskily. He pushed her back against her kitchen table, his hand slipping under her top.

"Seriously, Merlin," she laughed against him, "I have to get r—rea—dy... For... _Work_!" she squirmed as his fingers drifted over her bare breasts, "And you have work too!"

Merlin stopped the movement of his hand and glanced into her eyes. "Come to my place when you're done tonight?"

"I can't, I'm having dinner with Arthur tonight," Morgana sighed, biting her lip. Then her eyes widened and she said, "Hey, you could come too."

Merlin looked skeptical, "Me, you and Arthur?"

"He's my brother," she said, "I want you two to get along. Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you can bring Gwen."

"Well, it does sound more appealing with a fourth person," he replied thoughtfully, "Okay. Let's do it."

"Great. I'll call you after work," Morgana's lips brushed lightly over his before she untangled herself from his embrace.

Merlin watched her leave the kitchen and only then did his eyes fall dark. Last night was such a whirlwind that he had completely forgotten the most pressing piece of information: Uther knew that Emrys was planning a hit on Albion. He wasn't sure what that meant. How the hell did Uther even find out?

Was there a mole in their group? A traitor? It didn't make any sense; why would someone risk their share of the take for Uther Pendragon? Running a tired hand over his face, Merlin left the untouched pot of coffee on the counter as he exited the kitchen.

He wasn't a coffee drinker anyway.

**::**

* * *

Gwen, Gwaine and Merlin were sat in Gwen and Merlin's apartment, each holding a cup of their preferred hot liquid.

"This is most troubling," Gwen announced.

"I only trust you two with this information," Merlin said, "So I'd prefer if you both kept it quiet, until we know _exactly_ how Uther found out about it."

"It could be a genuine mistake," Gwaine shrugged, "Edwin and the others were doing some digging and while they're all usually one hundred percent discreet, perhaps someone stumbled onto their game and informed Uther in hopes of a healthy reward."

"I would take my chances on that theory than believe that someone has betrayed us," Gwen said, fretting.

"Well we don't know anything for sure," Merlin looked down into his cup of tea. How he wished to mix in a bottle of Irish whiskey.

"Exactly," Gwaine pointed out, "If someone really did betray us, wouldn't Uther know our names by now? Our real names?"

"That's a good point," Gwen brightened a little.

"Did you get that copy of Albion's floor plans yet?" Gwaine asked Merlin suddenly.

"Not yet," Merlin shook his head. He tugged anxiously at his ear. He knew he trusted Gwen one hundred percent but he wasn't sure how much he trusted Gwaine. He wasn't sure he trusted him at all.

"Look, keep me posted, man," Gwaine said, standing up. "Let me see what I can find out."

"Be careful," Merlin warned him. He waited until Gwaine had left before he said to Gwen, "How was your date with Lancelot?"

"Perfect," Gwen's eyes sparkled, "It was truly magical. How was your night with Morgana?"

"Truly, _truly_ magical," Merlin repeated her words, smirking. "Speaking of which... she's invited you and me round to her apartment for dinner tonight. With Arthur."

Gwen's mouth opened in surprise, "What, Morgana? Really? Things were weird between us in the kitchen yesterday, I'm not sure—"

"_Need_ you there," Merlin interrupted her sharply, "Please Gwen! Please. It _cannot_ just be Morgana, Arthur and I. It'll be the most horrible thing since World War I."

"Oh, only World War I?" Gwen cocked her eyebrow up, "Is World War II not getting a look in?"

"No," Merlin said bluntly. Then he pleaded with wide eyes, "Please Gwen!"

"Fine," she sighed, "Whatever. But I'm not dressing up like last time."

"Thank you," he said with a grin.

"You owe me, Emrys," Gwen replied, "Owe me big!"


	13. The Revelation and Dinner

**A/N:** Hello! I didn't want to go into too much depth about Vivienne's state of mind, but I thought it should be stated that catatonia is not a mental illness in it's own right, it's more like a symptom of a mental illness, but I didn't want it to be the focus of the chapter since there are other revelations about to come out. I'm glad I'm at this point now, this is kind of where things can really start happening now.

Please let me know what you think! :)

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Twelve**

_The Revelation and Dinner_

**::**

"I brought you fresh flowers today," Morgana said as she walked into her mother's private room with a plastic vase of brightly coloured flowers. The guard waiting outside the room had glanced questioningly at the flowers—although his look probably had more to do with the vase—but the receptionist had cleared it with the head of the psychiatric unit.

Vivienne le Fay was sitting up in bed this time, having not been moved to her bedside chair by her nurses yet. The window was still barred like it always was and the sunlight from outside gave the room a natural glow. It was just after twelve noon and Morgana was on her lunch break. Usually she skipped lunch but she couldn't hide the beaming smile on her face and the need to share her new found joy with someone.

Arthur wasn't really the one to gush over things with and since Uther was not to be trusted with anything from her personal life, she found she only wanted to talk to one person; her mother. Even if her mother wasn't really there to answer, it still meant something. She placed the vase on Vivienne's bedside table and took a seat in the empty bedside chair that her mother usually occupied.

Vivienne looked as lifeless as ever; her eyes empty and vacant, her expression blank. Morgana suddenly wished she hadn't come. Every time she looked at her mother, she didn't know what to feel. Should she grieve for a mother that didn't really exist anymore? Should she remain ever hopeful that one day she would recover from her catatonia? And how could she grieve properly when her mother's heart was still beating?

Inner turmoil from her past raged throughout Morgana's head and she squirmed in the chair. This was a bad idea. She was never going to get her mother back, why did she continue to torture herself like this? Every once in a while, Vivienne blinked, but it was near enough the only movement she ever made. Apart from the rise and fall of her breathing chest. There was a moment of hope years ago for Morgana, when she was a teenager. Her mother had tilted her head and whispered, 'Have a nice birthday, dear.'

Morgana hadn't heard a word from her since. The nurses said it was common for them to make comments every once and while. Usually the comments didn't make any sense because their brain was cut off from reality, but Morgana was sure she had heard correctly. Vivienne had listened to her ramble about her birthday plans and actually wished her a happy birthday afterward. The nurses told her not to raise her hopes and sure enough, they were right.

"You've been pretty absent from my life," Morgana said suddenly, "And I know it's not your fault. Not really, but... You should have been there for me. You should have." It seemed like the worst thing to say but after twelve years of silence between them, it was all Morgana had wanted to say to her mother.

There was one side of her that understood her mother's pain had caused her mental breakdown but there was another, slightly less rational part, that hated her mother for abandoning her, with Uther. She didn't just lose her father when she was ten. She lost both her parents.

"I came here wanting to tell you another thing," Morgana added, "But that doesn't matter anymore. I just wanted you to know that... You should have been there for me... And I don't think I'll be coming around anymore."

Nothing was proven but some studies had shown that catatonic patients could still hear the outside world around them. If that were true, Morgana hoped her mother could hear every single word she was saying.

Morgana stood, loathing herself slightly, as she began to walk towards the door.

"He was wearing a brown leather jacket."

Morgana jumped at the sound of Vivienne's soft voice, almost tripping over her own feet. She spun around and saw her mother; just staring at her with wide eyes.

"Oh my..." Morgana gasped, shock overwhelming her. She took a tentative step forward. "Did you just..."

Vivienne blinked.

"Say something again," Morgana swallowed, willing her mother with all her might to just open her mouth and be her mother again. Be the mother she remembered from her childhood.

"Brown leather jacket," Vivienne finally spoke again as she looked downwards, thoughtful. "I thought he was the most handsome man I've ever seen."

Morgana's legs were practically shaking as she walked over to the side of her mother's bed. Her eyes were wide. "Should I get a nurse?" she couldn't understand what the hell was going on.

"No nurse," Vivienne reached out and grabbed Morgana's hand. "No nurse, Morgana. Don't tell anyone. They all work for _him_."

"What? What are you talking about? How—how are you even talking?" Morgana demanded. She glanced down at their held hands and tears started to rise to the surface.

"The day your father died," Vivienne ignored her, "He was wearing a brown leather jacket and he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen."

Morgana sat down on the edge of the bed, dazed and confused, but unable to draw away or even blink.

"Oh your father was a beautiful man," Vivienne continued, "And he knew it. Everyone wanted him."

Morgana was speechless.

"He was an understanding man," Vivienne whispered, "He accepted me, flaws and all."

Tears spilled over Morgana's eyes and onto her cheeks.

"What I'm about to say, you know you mustn't tell anyone sweetheart?" Vivienne looked at her and Morgana gasped silently. It felt like years since her mother had actually _looked_ at her and _seen_ her.

Morgana nodded sporadically. "I promise I won't."

"I know," Vivienne clutched her hand tighter, "I know because you're the only one I can trust. Ten years before I met Gorlois and had you, I was a reckless teenager and a bit of a risk taker. I met a boy and we fell in love, or what I thought was love, at the time. I fell pregnant and he abandoned me. My mother wanted me to get an abortion because I wasn't ready for a baby, but I couldn't, so I gave the baby up for adoption after it was born."

Morgana's jaw fell open. Her face was blank but her emotions were raging a war inside. "I have a sibling?" she asked breathlessly.

"A sister," Vivienne corrected her, "In time, I grew up and met Gorlois and had the wonderful joy that was you, but I could never stop thinking about that baby I'd given up. Gorlois was understanding and he eventually tracked her down. He made an agreement with her adoptive parents to leave her a substantial amount of money when she turned eighteen, so long as she believed it came from them."

"What's her name?" Morgana demanded, desperate to know, "Where does she live?"

"I requested that they call her Morgause, after your great grandmother and the adoptive parents agreed," Vivienne smiled slightly, "I believe her last name is Blake. Morgause Blake. She was brought up on the Isle of Man, but she lives in England now."

"Where?" Morgana held her breath.

Vivienne sighed softly, shaking her head. "I always wonder what colour of eyes she has."

"I can't believe this," Morgana confessed, "I can't believe I never knew, I can't believe you're actually speaking to me, having a conversation with me."

"You can't tell anyone," Vivienne reminded her, "Not Arthur or Uther, nor that boy you brought in the other day."

Morgana tensed at the mention of Merlin. "I won't," she promised her mother. Then she said, "What... did you think of him?"

"He's shifty," Vivienne replied promptly.

"Shifty?" Morgana frowned, "In what way?"

"What's really important here, Morgana," Vivienne leaned forwards and grabbed both sides of Morgana's face, "You must _remember_."

"Remember?" Morgana felt her mother's grip tighten. "Remember what?"

"Remember," Vivienne repeated, "_Remember_. Please. You must."

"You're getting upset," Morgana frowned, "I really think I should get a nurse."

"No nurses, no anybody! Trust nobody, Morgana," Vivienne suddenly looked sad, "Please just find your sister. Make sure she knows I love her," she released Morgana's face, "You have to go now."

"But I've just got here and you're yourself again," Morgana looked torn.

"No sweetheart, I'm not," Vivienne whispered.

And just like that, Vivienne le Fay silently fell back into the depths of her mind once again.

**::**

* * *

Morgana stumbled into her apartment, dazed. She strode down her hallway and stormed into her kitchen, throwing open the fridge door with a bang. She grabbed the nearest bottle of alcohol, which turned out to be a bottle of whiskey, and downed a mouthful in one. It stung the inside of her mouth and burned the back of her throat.

She gasped. She felt her insides heating up at the mere ingestion of the poisonous liquid and almost wished she'd hadn't skipped lunch earlier. With shaky legs, Morgana took a seat at her kitchen table and put her head in her hands. There was still so much she didn't understand.

Her mother had confessed the existence of another child, but why had she been so secretive? Why didn't she want Morgana to get the nurses or to tell anyone she had spoken? Why did she look... _scared_? Morgana's mind was racing a hundred miles an hour, unsure of what to do. She ached to tell someone, having spent the rest of the day wandering around London in a daze.

Arthur, Merlin and Gwen were supposed to be coming over for dinner that night, but she'd completely spaced and forgotten to buy in the much needed ingredients. Unable to care about that fact, she pulled out her phone and dialled a number, pressing it to her ear. Eventually someone picked up.

"_Hello?"_

"It's Morgana," she said into her phone, "Do you remember me?"

"_Uther Pendragon's daughter."_

"Adopted daughter," Morgana corrected sharply. "I need you to find someone for me. It's very important that no one knows I'm looking for her."

"_Of course. My services of course, come at a price."_

"I'll wire the funds over immediately."

"_Very well. What is the name of the person you seek?"_

"Morgause," Morgana breathed out, "Morgause Blake."

**::**

* * *

Arthur sighed. He looked over to Morgana, who was sitting on his kitchen counter top with a far off look in her eyes. He plucked a cook book from his shelf and opened it in the middle, trying to find a decent enough recipe to serve that night since Morgana had stormed into his apartment ten minutes previously and demanded that he make dinner instead of her.

"Look, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Arthur couldn't concentrate on the recipes until he figured out why Morgana was looking even paler than usual. Even slightly greenish.

Morgana said nothing, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Arthur commented waywardly.

"I think I did," Morgana confessed suddenly. "I think I genuinely saw..." her voice trailed off.

"Do I need to be calling the crazy doctors for you as well?" Arthur snapped insensitively, his concern for her now wandering into the realms of snapping at her in order to get some kind of reassurance that she wasn't losing her mind.

"No, I don't mean like a casper kind of ghost," Morgana shook her head, "I mean, like a human kind of ghost."

"Have you been drinking?" Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Does one sip of Whiskey count?" she quipped.

"Not in Thailand," he replied. "Wait, what's going on?"

"I don't know," Morgana licked her dry lips, "I—I don't know what to think, or do. I don't know, Arthur!" she cried.

Arthur stared and then blinked. The he suggested, "Do you want some alcohol?"

She shook her head.

"Wow," he muttered, "There really is a first for everything. You know, Jimmy said that as well today—"

"I might have a half sister," Morgana blurted out suddenly.

Arthur dropped the cook book in his hands. "What?" he gasped, eyes wide.

"My mum, - you know, the crazy one that doesn't speak? - well she spoke today when I went to see her," Morgana slid off the kitchen counter top with ease, "And she told me, before she met my father, she had another child that she gave away for adoption when she was a teenager."

"Wow," Arthur breathed.

"But you can't tell _anyone_," Morgana looked at him harshly, "I mean it, Arthur. My mother doesn't want anybody to know she exists."

"I promise," he nodded. "Wow. That's big news. How are you... doing?"

"I'm freaking out," Morgana confessed, "I contacted Alvarr today, to track her down."

"He's dodgy," Arthur shook his head slightly.

"And he's also not doing Uther's bidding so that's how I know I can trust him," Morgana said pointedly.

Arthur said nothing at the mention of his father but he silently agreed with her and Morgana knew this.

"I have a sibling," Morgana murmured, still shocked. She shook her head, "It's so surreal."

"Eh, hello?" Arthur pointed to himself.

"You know what I mean," she explained, "I have a _sister_. An older blood related sister whose in her thirties and probably married with kids or something."

"That's a little presumptuous," Arthur said.

"Until Alvarr finds her, all I have is assumptions," Morgana sighed. "What should I do; should I tell Merlin?"

"Well, you did say you trusted him," Arthur shrugged, "But do you actually?"

"Yes," Morgana cried, "Yes, I trust him. But I mean, this is _big_. What if I find my half sister and she doesn't want to meet me? And my mother didn't want me to tell anyone, let alone you."

"I still don't understand how Vivienne is now speaking in general let alone telling you her big dark secrets," Arthur frowned, "She was admitted clinically depressed with wild delusions, paranoia and eventually developing a stupor, resulting in catatonia. Can people usually come back from that? Because I don't think they can."

"Maybe..." Morgana frowned back, "Maybe the nurses are giving her new medications, new drug trials."

"Without your consent?" Arthur stared at her.

"Well I don't know, Arthur!" she cried suddenly, "All I know is, she spoke to me and told me I had a half sister."

"There's really no need to watch television when it comes to you, is there?" Arthur said, "It's like a drama film that never ends."

"That's really helping me," Morgana threw him a look.

"Look, maybe we should cancel dinner tonight," Arthur suggested, "Is your head really in the right place for it?"

"It's almost seven," Morgana replied, "I can't cancel Merlin and Gwen now."

Arthur blinked repeatedly, "Sorry, what? Did you just say Gwen? As in Merlin's friend, the one he brought to the gala?"

Morgana nodded. "I told Merlin he could invite her."

"I haven't seen her since then," Arthur admitted, "I tried to get her number but she wouldn't give me it, even after we made out."

Morgana blew out a hot breath of air, "Great. Here I was thinking that inviting Gwen would insure no awkwardness but now, it's a guarantee it's going to be awkward tonight. Thanks Arthur. You couldn't have just kept your loose lips shut for once?"

"No, not really," Arthur said. Then he said, "Look, go and calm down or something. Take a shower. Drink some alcohol. Change your clothes. And _then_ come back up here with your mad rambling."

"You're gonna thank me for my mad rambling one day," she told him suddenly.

"I'll believe that when it happens!"

**::**

* * *

The lights were low in Arthur's living room. He'd pulled out his dining table from his kitchen and placed it in the middle of his monochrome themed living room. He laid out his best dining wear; black table cloth, white candlesticks, swan like napkins, place mats, coasters and gleaming silverware. The lights were dimmed in the room and the natural light from outside the window and the flickering candles gave the atmosphere a thick buzz.

The smell of simmering casserole wafted in through the hallway and into every room. Arthur was in his bedroom, changing into something a little more formal when Morgana reappeared back at his apartment, dressed in a simple dark dress coupled with red burgundy tights. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail and her eyes were heavy. She looked unusually wary, a look Arthur wasn't used to seeing very often. Even in her times of great distress, Morgana could easily cover that with a confused look.

"It's going to be fine," Arthur said as they both stood in the kitchen. "And I'm not just talking about tonight. I mean, everything. It will be okay."

Morgana sighed. "I hope so," she murmured. Her mind was still reeling, her thoughts away in a distant far off land that had nothing to do with Pendragon Industries or reality at all. All she could think about was the existence of her half sister, and her mother's ramblings; to remember (what?), to not trust (who?).

"I hope you told them we were having dinner up here," Arthur commented suddenly, "And I hope you made it clear that jeans was not a legitimate option."

"Yes," she said, distracted. "I told them smart casual; this isn't Buckingham Palace, Arthur."

"You're right about that," Arthur replied, "I mean, when we last had lunch at Buckingham Palace, they certainly did not have any origami swan napkins. That's all I'm saying on that matter."

"Why would they?" Morgana indulged the conversation, "It's not an English tradition."

"I'm not saying the Queen should have hired a different event planner," Arthur said, "But, she should have hired a different event planner."

"Here we go," Morgana rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to apologise for having impeccable taste," Arthur argued, "The Queen can hold a decent conversation or two, just so long as you don't mention the conflict in Egypt, but when it comes to tableware, I just think that being royal means being able to have elegant centerpieces and napkins."

"What would you know about being royal?" she snorted.

"Anybody can be royal," Arthur shot her a look, "Whether they're rich or poor, cultured or homely, anyone can choose to be royal. Being royal is a state of mind; a choice for quality. When it comes to being regal however, we leave that to the monarchy."

"Hear, hear," Morgana raised her wine glass up in a mock toast.

Just then, the door bell sounded and Morgana froze, glancing over to Arthur. They shared a deer-in-highlights moment for a second, almost irrationally, and then Morgana smoothed down her dress and made the journey to the front door, leaving Arthur in the kitchen.

Morgana's palms felt a little clammy, and only because she was scared that Merlin would take one look at her face and know something was wrong. She got to Arthur's door and pulled back the door handle. Merlin and Gwen were standing before her.

Merlin was wearing suit trousers and a buttoned down navy blue shirt. His black hair was shinier than usual. Gwen was standing beside him, dressed in black skinny jeans and a pink dressy blouse. Her short curls were pinned backwards and two red feather earrings hung from her ears.

Instantly, Morgana felt a forced smile on her face.

"I hope this bottle is good enough for dinner," Merlin produced a bottle of wine from behind his back.

"Of course. Come in," Morgana took the bottle from him and moved aside so they could enter. "Gwen," she greeted cordially.

"It's nice to see you again," Gwen said, "Not that I didn't enjoy seeing so much of you last time," her comment was in jest to their last meeting when Gwen had stumbled upon Morgana in her kitchen, dressed in tiny shorts and a fitted t-shirt.

Normally, Morgana would have returned that with something feisty of her own, but she could barely walk and talk at the same time let alone use her wits. Her mind was still somewhere else and her attention was still distracted, no matter how good Merlin looked.

"It's just right down there," Morgana pointed them in the direction of the hallway.

As Gwen sauntered down by herself, Merlin spun around and stopped Morgana before she could take another step. He pulled her into him without warning and captured her lips with his. The bottle he'd given her was pressed in between their chests; cold and hard. Morgana's stomach tightened at the feel of his warm mouth moving speedily against hers.

She was swept away for a moment, completely forgetting her earlier predicament. Her fingers curled around the back of his neck, her other hand holding the bottle of wine that was crushed in between them. He pressed himself against her and they stumbled backwards a little. When they parted, she was breathless.

"Sorry," Merlin said, "I just really wanted to do that all day."

Morgana felt a natural smile appear on her face. She sighed softly, inhaling his usual woodwork scent. She was still holding the bottle of wine, but all she wanted to do was drop it and press him up against the wall and forget everything. To think the day had started out so well.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked suddenly, noticing the lines under her eyes and the tension in her face.

"It's..." she opened her mouth, wondering what she was going to say next. She wanted to tell him everything, but was it really the right place and time to do so? "Just business worries. The mysterious Emrys and his group of miscreants."

Merlin's eyes darkened and left Morgana feeling cold.

"I'm sorry," Merlin said suddenly.

"What for?" Morgana looked at him, puzzled.

Merlin just stared at her, keeping his mouth closed and his reasons secretive.

When Morgana was going to question him again, Arthur's voice carried from down the hallway: "Hurry up, you two. Dinner's nearly ready!"

"This is going to be fun," Merlin muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"Behave," Morgana shot him a playful look.

"When do I not?" he replied lightly, weaving his fingers through hers as they walked down the hallway.

Morgana never saw the conflicted expression as it passed through his eyes.


	14. The Enemy Lines

**A/N: **I am so sorry for being late again, I do really appreciate everyone who reviews, it's just about the only thing that makes me smile anymore! Thank you for putting up with me! Concerning this chapter, I'm sure I don't need to say this but just in case, I don't condone violence etc, it's just a fictional story etc. Anyway, please review and let me know your thoughts!

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Thirteen**

_The Enemy Lines_

**::**

"It's true," Arthur said to Gwen, raising his wine glass to his lips, "I've been able to tell time since I was five years old." Arthur was sat across from Gwen and beside Morgana, who was sat across from Merlin. They were at his dining table in his living room, each with a bowl of soup in front of them. The candles in the middle of the table flickered in the dim lighting, which was odd, because the windows were closed and there was no draft present.

Morgana and Merlin shared a look across the table as Gwen laughed at Arthur's joke. Merlin rolled his eyes and Morgana smirked slightly, shaking her head. Arthur was never one for commitment but he was also never one to put so much effort into flirting with a girl. He usually had them in his bed by the end of the night and out of his apartment first thing in the morning, sometimes even before that.

"Yes, yes, Arthur, you were a boy genius," Morgana said suddenly, "Why don't you tell Gwen about the time you tripped over a flat surface or about the time you confused the word acapella with al-Qaeda." She couldn't help but smirk at her brother as she spoke. Arthur was really a decent human being when it came down to it, but there had been questioning moments about his intelligence over the years.

"Yes well," Arthur replied, pulling at his shirt uncomfortably, "That was a regrettable incident."

"How so?" Gwen inquired politely.

"The person Arthur said that to was his assistant at the time, who just so happened to have escaped from Kabul," Morgana said before Arthur had the chance to. "Who then went onto to sue him for the otherwise 'racist' comment."

Merlin tried his best to contain his laughter.

"In my defense," Arthur held his hands up, "I had swimmer's ear that week and when he told me he was joining an acapella group, it sounded like something else entirely."

"Hopefully it all worked out?" Gwen asked.

"No, it went tragically," Arthur sat back into his chair, "He won a settlement of six numbers and I was banned from visiting Afghanistan for six months."

"Do you frequent in the middle east?" Merlin asked with genuine interest.

"My father does and sometimes I accompany him," Arthur replied, "We have wealthy stock investors there who dislike the idea of talking over webcam."

"Do you travel to the middle east?" Gwen suddenly asked Morgana.

"Uther would never allow it," Morgana said, resentment in her voice, "A wealthy white woman in Kabul? I could clearly never handle myself." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"You'd be a fool to think you'd go unnoticed in Afghanistan," Arthur said, "My father only tries to protect you, Morgana. He's not sexist."

"Enough politics," Morgana demanded. She asked Arthur, "Can we please move onto the main course?"

"Of course, if everyone's finished," Arthur stood up. He picked up his bowl and then Gwen's.

"Let me help," Morgana said. She picked up her bowl and then reached over to get Merlin's.

"I'll do that," Merlin offered.

"I appreciate the gesture but I'm more than capable," she quipped, giving him a mock pout. His hand touched her side as she walked past him and out of the living room after Arthur, leaving him and Gwen alone.

"Arthur's apartment is lovely, isn't it?" Gwen commented slightly. When Merlin didn't reply, she noticed his distracted expression, "Merlin, what's the matter?"

Merlin looked at the living room door to make sure he wouldn't be overheard. He whispered, "Morgana mentioned something about Emrys earlier. She looked completely stressed over it. _I_ caused that. I'm the reason she looks like she's about to have a nervous breakdown."

"She seemed fine a moment ago," Gwen mumbled back.

"Yes, but I know she's not," Merlin said. "And I'm still so furious at Uther finding out. That wasn't part of the plan."

"Falling for Morgana wasn't part of the plan either," Gwen retorted, "But it still happened. I was surprised you curbed your temper at Gwaine earlier, you weren't exactly furious then."

"What good would it do?" Merlin replied, "If Gwaine was the one who betrayed us – or if he knew who did – what good would it do to anger him? I need him on our side, for as long as possible."

"I think he is on our side," Gwen said quietly, "I mean, I know 'conman' doesn't scream _trustworthy_ but I genuinely think he's on our side. Even Lancelot trusts him and that's saying something."

"Speaking of Lancelot," Merlin began carefully, "Does he know you're on a double date with Uther's son?"

"This is _not_ a double date," Gwen whispered furiously. "This is me doing you a favour!"

Merlin raised his hands in a mock surrender, "You're the one laughing at all his jokes."

"It's called being a gracious guest," Gwen hissed. She added, "And maybe I'm laughing so hard because it's a little nauseating being around two love struck idiots who keep having eyesex across the table!"

"We're not having—" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "—_eyesex_ across any table."

They both fell into an awkward silence.

"I like the swan napkins," Gwen said suddenly.

"Yeah," Merlin agreed. "They're very nice."

**::**

* * *

"Do you think it's going well?" Arthur asked as he and Morgana walked into the kitchen. They put the bowls of soup down on the counter top and Arthur moved over to the oven where his casserole had been placed inside to keep warm.

"As well as it could go," Morgana replied. She sighed. Now that she wasn't at the table having to fake a smile for Merlin and Gwen, her mind was drifting back to her most recent predicament. Her newly discovered sister. Her half sister. Someone like her, who had real Irish roots and the same facial features (presumingly). Who maybe even had the same quirks as her.

"You know," Arthur said as he began to serve the casserole equally onto four plates, "I was thinking about Vivienne earlier. What if it's not true?"

"Huh?" Morgana glanced over to him, torn from her own disorientated thoughts.

"Rambling and mumbling is sometimes common in catatonic patients," Arthur said, "They don't tend to make sense because they don't live in our reality, they create one inside their head and live there. Maybe in her reality, your mother had two daughters."

"This wasn't crazed rambling, Arthur," Morgana shook her head, "She was _lucid_. She was coherent. She spoke with purpose and her eyes were full of life. There was nothing crazy about it."

Arthur shrugged, "I guess we'll find out when Alvarr calls you back."

Morgana paused for a moment and walked closer to him. "Arthur... You know that nothing's going to change if I meet her? You know that, right? You will always be my best friend, my brother."

"Are we about to get sentimental?" Arthur asked mockingly.

"Arthur," she punched his shoulder. "Cut the crap for five minutes. I could have a hundred sisters and you'd still be the one I would tell everything to."

"I know," Arthur said, nodding his head. Then he burst into laughter, "Did you say a hundred sisters? Wow, your mother looks good for that many pregnancies."

Morgana laughed back, "Yeah. She'd look good in a bin bag."

"I guess there's someone else you'd tell everything to as well," Arthur said suddenly.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I guess there is," she frowned, "Wow. How did that happen?"

"You met someone and you fell in..." Arthur trailed off, "You fell for Merlin and he clearly fell for you. It happens. For what it's worth, if I had what you two had, I don't think I'd want for anything else."

"That was actually really sweet, Arthur," Morgana said, choosing to ignore the fact that Arthur had almost implied something that she wasn't even ready to admit to herself.

"I have it in me, occasionally," he said modestly.

"We should get back out there," Morgana looked at the casserole on the four plates, "This looks lovely."

"Smells good too," Arthur agreed. He picked up two plates and headed back out of the kitchen.

Morgana picked up the other two plates and before she followed after Arthur, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the kitchen window. She almost didn't recognise herself.

When she entered the living room, Arthur was refilling Gwen's wine glass. She laughed under her breath and placed one plate in front of Merlin. He thanked her as she settled down in her chair again with her own plate.

"Arthur, this is delicious," Gwen said, a biteful in her mouth.

"Thank you, it was my mother's recipe," Arthur said. He didn't usually talk about his late mother, who had passed away a few days after his birth from complications.

"It's one of Arthur's best dishes," Morgana agreed.

Twenty minutes flew by, with each eating in comfortable silence, occasionally making small talk and unimportant chitchat. The candles flickered in the dim lighting and the air seemed to grow hotter.

Morgana's phone began to ring and she stiffened in her chair at the thought of talking to Alvarr about Morgause's existence. She glanced upwards and shared a look with Arthur, who had also stopped eating. Merlin noticed the odd silent interaction between the two siblings and glanced over to Gwen to exchange a look with her, who had also noticed.

"Excuse me, I have to take this," Morgana said, pushing back her chair and standing up. She pulled her phone from her pocket and answered promptly before walking into the hallway. "Hello?"

"_Miss le Fay? There's been a delivery sent to your apartment that needs your signature. Are you home?"_ It was Mithian, one of Camelot's receptionists.

"I'm in Arthur's apartment with dinner guests, is it urgent?" Morgana sighed in relief when she realised it wasn't Alvarr on the other end. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear about Morgause just yet.

"_It was stamped urgent delivery, and they won't hand it over to anyone without your signature."_

"Okay," Morgana ran a hand through her hair, "Just tell them to come to Arthur's apartment and I'll sign for it there."

"_Thank you, Miss le Fay."_

Morgana hung up and walked back into the living room. Arthur was spun around in his chair, eyes wide. He silently asked her with a raised eyebrow if that phone call had been Alvarr.

"Urgent delivery," Morgana answered Arthur's look, "It's getting delivered here, it must have something to do with Albion's opening." She took her seat again and noticed that Merlin was staring at her.

"Everything okay?" Merlin asked her, with a slightly tilt of his head. He could tell by the expression on her face that something was off, and it had been – the entire night.

"Absolutely," Morgana replied promptly, nodding her head. "Work stuff. Always a worry."

"Always a nuisance more like," Arthur grumbled. Morgana silently agreed with a strained smile. It was no secret that her and Arthur's paths in life had been set about by Uther, decided years ago, without the possibility of doing very little else.

"How is Gaius?" Morgana asked suddenly, remembering her old family friend and ex business partner to Uther. She hadn't seen him in almost two weeks and she started to feel rather guilty all of a sudden.

"He's doing great," Merlin answered, "He still wants to be released of course, but the Doctors want to run some more tests, to make sure it won't happen again."

"Of course," Arthur agreed, "I always liked Gaius's spirit, his fight."

A knock at Arthur's door interrupted their current conversation.

"That'll be my delivery," Morgana said. She stood up, her hand accidentally knocking over her wine glass full of red wine. It spilled over the table and spread across the table cloth.

"Crap," Arthur grumbled.

"Sor..." Morgana trailed off. She stared down at her hand, seeing that it had brushed against the wet table cloth, resulting in a contrast of red wine against her pale alabaster skin. And suddenly, a rush of nausea rolled over her. The red wine looked like blood.

Something from her childhood nightmare flooded back to her: _"Morgana, what are you doing up?"_

The knock at Arthur's door sounded again, breaking Morgana from her temporary trance of thought.

"I can help, Arthur," Gwen picked up her swan napkin.

"No please, let me," Arthur insisted.

"I'll get the door," Morgana brushed the remnants of red wine from her hand and made her way to the hallway. She quickened her step and unhooked the chain from Arthur's door, opening it.

There was nobody there. Morgana frowned, blinking. She stepped outside of the doorway into the landing, glancing around. The knocks on the door had just sounded, how had they disappeared so suddenly?

"Hello?" Morgana asked, hoping they were just on the stairs and hadn't gone into the elevators at the end of the landing.

All of a sudden, a hand snaked it's way around her waist and over her arms and pressed down so tightly it crushed against her ribs. Her first instinct was to scream but a black gloved hand clamped itself over her lips. She could feel her attacker's front pressed against her back and she was almost positive it was a man. A well built man who knew his way around a gym.

Morgana tried to struggle with her arms but the attacker's arm was securely holding them down in place. If she could just get one arm free, she could strike his solar plexus; the cluster of nerve cells and supporting tissue located behind the stomach just below the diaphragm. She knew that if she hit it the right way – and hard – her attacker would go down.

Her mind raced with all the possibilities. If she were facing him, she would discombobulate him with a blow to both ears at the same time with both sides of her hand. The ringing in his ears would confuse him. After that, she could do a number of things. Dislocate his jaw completely, leave him with limited tongue movement. Or heel kick to his abdomen; fracturing or breaking one or all of his ribs, depending on the force.

Most likely she would thrust the heel of her palm upwards and swiftly break his nose in three different places. Nasty recovery time for that injury. However, she wasn't facing him. He had her completely trapped apart from the movement of her legs and head, but no matter how trapped a person may feel, they usually always have some kind of out. She wasn't about to become a ransomed hostage any time soon.

The moment the attacker tried to drag her to the elevators, she thrust her head backwards, smacking the back of it into her attacker's face. The move threw him and although he didn't release her completely, his tight grip around her waist faltered slightly. There was enough room for Morgana to angle her hips to the right, making way for her balled up fist to throw itself towards his crotch area and hit him squarely in his groin muscle.

The attacker groaned – a deep manly kind of groan – and his grip loosened even more. Morgana was able to bend her elbow and strike him like a metal rod into the lower section of his chest, effectively hitting his diaphragm. Morgana freed herself completely and spun around, unable to stop the anger that flowed through her when she realised who it was. Her narrowed eyes assessed his injuries where he was crouched on the ground in pain; ringing ears, pulled groin muscle, inability to breathe, severe abdominal pain.

By any Doctor's standards, the attacker would need immediate medical attention. The risk of internal bleeding left Morgana's mind as quickly as it entered. There was something horrible inside of her, something dark that edged her forwards. It wasn't enough; the need to inflict pain threatened to consume her. She was just about to dislocate his jaw when Arthur suddenly appeared in his doorway; shocked and concerned.

"What the hell is going on?" Arthur screamed.

"He tried to kidnap me," Morgana stumbled backwards, a little dazed by how much she had wanted to kill just mere seconds ago.

Hearing the commotion at the doorway, Merlin and Gwen ran down the hallway after Arthur.

"Oh my god," Gwen's face scrunched up with concern at the sight before her.

"What happened?" Merlin asked breathlessly, his face falling white when he saw who the man on the ground was.

"This son of a bitch tried to attack my sister," Arthur said angrily. He asked Morgana, "Do you know who he is?"

"No," Morgana shook her head, "But I caught him following me last week when I went to visit my mother."

"We should take him to the hospital," Gwen said nervously. The sight of Gwaine huddled on the ground like an injured animal made her feel sick. She was so close to vomiting Arthur's once delicious meal.

"You two should leave," Arthur commanded at Merlin and Gwen. He strode over to Gwaine and hooked his hands under his shoulders. Arthur hauled Gwaine up easily and began to drag him into his apartment.

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked, high pitched and wide eyed.

Morgana swiftly picked up Gwaine's legs and helped Arthur into his hallway. They moved sporadically down the hallway and ended up in the living room. Gwaine was groaning the entire time, his eyes opening and closing like he was drifting in and out of consciousness. They put him on Arthur's couch and Morgana turned on the living room light. Merlin and Gwen had followed them frantically.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Gwen shrieked, unable to calm herself. Merlin had to stop himself from pacing; his nervous habit. Gwen added, "He needs to see a Doctor!"

"Gwen, this man was following me last week and now he just tried to kidnap me," Morgana said coldly, "We can't take him to the hospital until we know who he is, what he wants and why he's after me."

"I know it's difficult for you to understand," Arthur said, "But Morgana and I are used to these kinds of threats. It comes with the territory."

"What are you going to do, alert Uther?" Merlin suddenly asked. His mind was racing, his heart beat thudding a million miles an hour. If Morgana and Arthur alerted Uther, Gwaine would surely be a dead man; no doubt about it, but first, Uther would torture him and eventually Gwaine would talk. About _everything_. He couldn't let that happen and neither would Gwen.

On the one hand, he wanted to shout at Gwaine for even trying something as stupid as attacking Morgana, which he didn't fully understand at all (what purpose would it serve?) but on the other hand, he felt horrible, watching his old friend on Arthur's couch, writhing in pain, half out of it and mumbling. He just hoped Arthur and Morgana wouldn't somehow realise that he and Gwen knew her attacker. This sudden mess was the last thing he needed.

"We shouldn't tell Uther until we know everything," Morgana said.

Arthur started to search Gwaine's pockets, finding nothing. "No I.D on him, as I thought."

"How are you even going to get him to talk?" Gwen asked frantically, "He's barely even conscious! What, are you going to beat him some more until he talks?!" she screamed sarcastically.

"It was in self defense," Morgana narrowed her eyes. "He's obviously been watching me! He's a professional, he posed as a delivery man to get up here, to kidnap me. We need to find out who he is and why he's doing this."

"He's not able to talk," Merlin said, "Look at him, he's barely even able to keep his eyes open."

"He could die," Gwen added, "He might have other injuries, other health conditions. If he dies in this apartment, you will both go down for manslaughter."

_I doubt that_, Merlin thought darkly. Uther Pendragon would never let that happen to them.

"I'll take that chance," Arthur said.

"I'm not okay with this," tears were streaming down Gwen's face, "I'm a _nurse_. I took an oath to protect lives, this isn't who I am, and I don't care who you are either. I'm phoning an ambulance and if you dare try and stop me, I will hurt you."

"Twenty minutes," Arthur said suddenly to Gwen. "Please. Just give us twenty minutes to talk to him. We won't hurt him. Then you can call an ambulance."

Morgana rolled her eyes; an action not unnoticed by Merlin.

"Ten," Gwen wiped her tears away with a shaky hand, "You get ten minutes and then I'm calling for help."

Merlin ran an agitated hand through his hair.

"Fine," Arthur grumbled, conceding. He crouched down beside Gwaine and looked him in the eye. "Who are you?" he asked lowly.

Gwaine coughed and blood escaped from his mouth, dribbling down his chin.

"No, this isn't right," Gwen pulled out her phone immediately, "He could be bleeding internally."

"For godsake," Morgana suddenly grabbed Gwen's phone from her hands and tossed it against Arthur's wall, effectively breaking it.

"What the hell?" Gwen screamed. Merlin's eyes widened.

"We're millionaires," Morgana snapped like it should have been obvious, "We can have somebody over here in less than ten minutes. We don't have to alert the hospital."

"Why not?" Gwen asked annoyedly.

"Because Doctors are obligated to alert the police if they suspect a patient's been injured," Arthur explained tiredly, "And then the police will get involved and we'll have to explain what happened, and chances are, we won't ever find out who he really is and what he wants."

"Why did you have to break my phone?" Gwen barked at Morgana.

"I'll buy you a new one," Morgana dismissed her worries with a flick of her hand.

"I'll call our private Doctor," Arthur said, walking out of his living room.

"Who do you work for?" Morgana stared steely at Gwaine.

"I don't think he's ready to talk yet," Gwen said anxiously. It was her biggest fear that Gwaine would open his mouth and spill everything in front of them.

"Morgause," Gwaine spat out, clutching his side, "Morgause Blake."


	15. The Hidden in Plain Sight

**A/N:** Hello! I really enjoyed writing this one, I hope you like it too! :) x

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Fourteen**

_The Hidden in Plain Sight_

**::**

"Morgause Blake."

Merlin's face contorted with confusion. He glanced at Gwen, unable to believe what Gwaine had just said. If it wasn't for the shock on Morgana's face, Merlin would have thought that Gwaine was just lying to cover his tracks, but there was obviously something real to his answer. Gwen was practically shaking, trembling.

Arthur walked back into the living room with a tense look on his face, "I contacted Aglain, he'll be here soon. Has he spoken?" he looked at Gwaine, noticing that the injured attacker was almost completely unconscious.

"He said he was working for Morgause Blake," Morgana ran a hand over her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired; ridden with secrets. She looked close to vomiting but Merlin suspected she wouldn't. Morgana found it hard to display weakness in front of her enemies and as of right now, Gwaine was definitely Enemy Number 1.

Arthur sighed, scrunching his face up in disappointment. He shook his head, debating in silence what to do next. He looked at Morgana and they shared a mixed expression of confusion and disillusionment.

"Who is Morgause Blake?" Merlin asked, looking squarely at Morgana.

"Someone who found me first, apparently," Morgana said. She looked to Gwaine again and she had to stop herself from wrapping her hands around his throat. She just wanted more answers; that's all she ever wanted.

"Found you _first_?" Merlin replied, "As in, you were looking for her as well? Do you know who she is, why she would want you kidnapped?"

"She's my..." Morgana started, uneasy. She looked at Gwen and then Arthur. She didn't particularly want Gwen knowing her private business but since Gwen was Merlin's trusted friend; she figured she could trust her with the existence of Morgause.

"Don't," Arthur warned her, "Not here."

Morgana looked over to Merlin and finished her sentence, "Half sister."

Arthur sighed in annoyance and Gwen gaped.

"Half sister?" Merlin asked, "As in..."

"My mother's daughter, before she met Gorlois and had me," Morgana nodded back. "My mother gave her up for adoption when she was born, and she grew up on the Isle of Man, before moving to England apparently some time after. I asked a contact of mine to look for her, but apparently she found me first."

"Perhaps she found out that your contact was looking for her, on your orders, and she thought you meant harm," Gwen said suddenly. "She decided to act first."

"That's one theory," Arthur said. "But a highly unlikely one."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"Because Morgana only called her contact earlier tonight," Arthur said with grave eyes. "And this man, the one working for Morgause, has been following Morgana for longer than she knew of Morgause's existence. It would make no sense."

"I don't understand why your half sister would try and kidnap you," Gwen said with wide eyes.

"Morgana's father left Morgause money, under the guise of receiving it from her adopted parents," Arthur said suddenly, "I suspect that Morgause found out about her true heritage and Morgana, leading her straight to Uther."

"You mean, leading her straight to Uther and his money," Gwen was able to follow Arthur's way of thinking easily.

"You think Morgause wanted to kidnap Morgana and hold her ransom for money?" Merlin asked suddenly.

"It's a possibility," Arthur said rationally.

"We can't know anything for sure until Aglain arrives, and wakes up Charles Manson here," Morgana sighed, not wanting to think that her sister would actually kidnap her for ransom money. Perhaps this wasn't going to be the sisterly experience she hoped it would be.

"Don't you think it's more than a coincidence that your mother just so happens to tell you about Morgause on the same day that she tries to kidnap you?" Arthur asked dubiously.

"Your mother _spoke_ to you?" Merlin rounded on Morgana with shock. Just how many other secrets was Morgana keeping from him? He was supposed to know everything about her life, but he kept getting blindsided.

"Wait, I thought your mother left you after your father's death?" Gwen frowned.

Morgana sighed, not wanting to answer _any_ of those questions. A knock at Arthur's front door jolted all of them.

"I hope that's Aglain," Arthur said as he left to answer the door.

"Hey," Merlin reached out and pulled Morgana towards him, "Are you okay?"

"Physically or emotionally?" she quipped.

"Both?" he replied.

"I've had better days," Morgana admitted with a shaky smile. "I was gonna tell you, about Morgause. Later."

"It's okay," Merlin glanced past Morgana and over to Gwaine. He still didn't really know what was going on. Had Gwaine been working for Morgause this whole time, secretly against him? Or was it his plan to steal from Uther no matter his commitment to Morgause? He felt sick to his stomach. He never should have enlisted Gwaine to help him. Once a conman, always a conman.

Arthur walked back into the living room with a tall dark skinned man following him. He was wearing a clean cut suit and carrying a rather large black leather bag. Morgana hadn't seen Aglain in a while but he looked no different than usual.

Aglain looked at Gwaine on the couch and then over to Arthur. "I take it I don't want to know?"

"Not particularly," Arthur said.

"I'm going to need some room," Aglain said. There would have been more room if Arthur's dining table hadn't been pulled out.

"I can wait in my apartment," Morgana blew out a breath of air. "Arthur, call me when Aglain's done?"

"I'll come with you," Merlin said quickly. As he followed Morgana out of Arthur's living room, he shot Gwen a look that meant 'Do not let Gwaine open his mouth and start talking about the planned con on Uther'.

There was no particular part of Merlin that wanted to help Gwaine anymore, but throwing Gwaine to the hounds would be like sacrificing himself and his relationship with Morgana. And there was no part of him that was going to let that happen.

**::**

* * *

"I have to tell you something," Merlin said as he and Morgana walked into her apartment. She headed straight for her kitchen, proceeding to her liquor cabinet. She opened the door and picked out a particular favourite bottle of hers. She was barely listening to Merlin at this point but she humoured him with a tired smile. The alcohol burned the back of her throat as she swallowed it, and her eyes stung for a moment. She tried to focus on what Merlin was saying but he was doing his occasional habit of mumbling and muttering under his breath.

He ploughed on nevertheless, "…And sometimes, people do horrible things for the right reasons and maybe they're not the right reasons anymore, but it's just justice, not in the form of proper justice—no, not that, I mean, legal justice—but it could still be considered a type of justice, a real kind that means something and it's not just about petty revenge—it's not!—it's about making a difference and more importantly, righting a wrong. A wrong that was committed by a very horrible man, who in my opinion, deserves everything he's going to get," Merlin glanced over to Morgana and frowned, "Morgana?"

"I'm listening," Morgana said, distracted. She sat down at her kitchen table, "You were saying… justice, rights, wrongs. Go on."

"What I'm about to say," Merlin sat down across from her, "It isn't going to be easy, for me to say and for you to hear, but I want you to know that, no matter what happens, I do…"

Morgana stared at him, her lips numb. Her heartbeat was thudding rapidly. _Oh god, _she thought, _He's going to say I love you again, except this time he's going to be completely lucid._

"I care for you deeply," Merlin finished, "And after this confession, you may very well hate me and you frankly have every right to, but I hope that you don't, and I hope that you can find a way to forgive me, or at least, understand my reasons for it. They're very complex reasons, it's not just because I'm selfish—well I am—but because I have legitimate reasons, difficult ones even."

"Merlin, you better not be confessing to having a secret family across the world," Morgana said bluntly, "Or that you're gay. I have nothing against gay people but I can't go through that again, not right now. I have so much on my plate," she frowned, "Are you sure this can't wait?"

Merlin paused for a moment. He bit his lip. He shook his head. "No," he said, "No, this can't wait. You have to know all the facts. And I'm sorry because when you find out, it's all going to change." He sucked in a deep breath. He couldn't lie to her another minute longer. She had to know the truth, too much was happening, too much was spiraling out of control. First Gwaine, now Morgause.

"Okay," Morgana looked at him, "Tell me. What's on your mind?" She didn't want to deal with another revelation right now but she figured, it couldn't get any worse, could it?

"Okay," Merlin reached out and held her hand. He let out a deep breath. "Here goes. When I—"

The sound of Morgana's door bell interrupted him. Merlin sighed.

"Might be Arthur. Hold that thought," Morgana said. She stood up and left Merlin in the kitchen, heading down the hallway to her front door. She rubbed her eyes and swallowed before opening her front door, trying to prepare herself for Gwaine's interrogation. She expected to see Arthur at her door but instead, she saw a tall man dressed in black that she'd didn't recognize.

"Let me guess," Morgana said calmly, "Morgause?"

The man, who was wearing dark jeans and a black jumper nodded. He had thick eyebrows and light stubble and his jaw was squarely uneven. He looked a little rough across the edges but Morgana knew she could probably take him on. After seeing his confirmed nod, she suddenly realized, she didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't want to defend herself or struggle for control. She was thoroughly exhausted, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

"Where?" Morgana asked quietly, not wanting to draw Merlin's attention. While she was in no mood to struggle, she was positive that Merlin wasn't going to be the same. He'd fight to the death before he let her disappear with a mysterious stranger.

"There's a car waiting outside," the man said evenly.

"My destination?" Morgana said.

"Unknown," the man replied.

"My safety?" she enquired.

"I am under strict orders not to harm you," the man said. "Miss Blake only wishes to converse with you."

"I have a phone," Morgana smiled bitterly.

The man stayed silent. Morgana swallowed. She could slam the door shut in his face and call the cops. She could scream for Merlin, or she could fight the stranger off until he released her. But none of those options seemed viable. She was so sick of being lied to, of feeling like everyone knew the answers but her. This time, she wanted some Goddamn answers and she wanted them now. She wasn't going to fight anymore.

"Fine," Morgana blinked, "But we go out the back exit."

If the man seemed taken aback at all, he hid it well. Morgana grabbed her black coat from her wall pegs and slipped out of the doorway, quietly closing the door behind her. As the stranger escorted her to the elevators, she pulled out her phone and sent Merlin and Arthur the same text.

By the time she rode the elevators down, slipped out the back exit and got into the black town car waiting outside for her, it was already too late.

**::**

* * *

_Gone to see Morgause. Will call in one hour. – M_

Merlin's head raced with anxiety as he stormed out of Morgana's apartment and headed towards Arthur's place. He was clutching his phone in his hand the entire time, almost breaking it with the sheer force of his panic. Just as he opened Arthur's door, he stormed past Aglain who was leaving and down Arthur's hallway into the living room. Arthur was standing at the window with his own phone in his hand and Gwen was perched on the opposite couch chair with a worried look on her face.

"You got the same text?" Merlin asked Arthur.

Arthur nodded, "What the hell happened? I thought you were both together."

"She went to answer the door, I stayed in the kitchen, I thought it was you," Merlin rambled.

"Are you kidding?" Arthur snapped, "You let her go answer her door alone after this maniac attacked her," he gestured to Gwaine, who was still lying on Arthur's couch.

"I wasn't thinking straight," Merlin cried, "I was too busy wondering how she'd…" he trailed off, eyes flitting nervously to Gwen. "Look never mind, we just have to find her, obviously."

"Obviously," Arthur said pointedly. "We could track her phone via GPS."

"It sounds like she went willingly," Gwen said suddenly, "What if she wanted to see Morgause, get some answers face to face instead of relying on… this stranger here?"

Danger flooded through Merlin's mind. What if Morgause knew of Gwaine's deal with him, Gwen and the others to con Uther by getting close to Morgana? What exactly did Morgause even want with Morgana? Merlin said decidedly, "It's not hard to fake a text, and if she did go willingly, it doesn't matter. The sooner we find her the better."

"Let me see what I can do," Gwen volunteered, "Where's your computer?"

"In my room, password is King Arthur," Arthur said.

"King Arthur?" Gwen raised her eyebrow.

"Yes," Arthur nodded, not realizing the blatant sarcasm in her voice. "All small caps and no spaces."

Gwen gave Merlin a look before exiting the living room.

"I should inform my father," Arthur said suddenly.

"Morgana would hate that," Merlin shook his head, "She doesn't trust Uther at all. And what if you do tell him? He'll have his guys flying in and messing things up, maybe even putting Morgana in danger."

"What do you suggest we do then, _Mer_lin?" Arthur demanded sarcastically.

Gwaine suddenly groaned from the couch, both men snapping their heads round to face him.

"Is he ready to talk?" Merlin asked quietly, his heart beat racing with panic. He didn't know what he would do if Gwaine opened his mouth and spilled everything. If Gwaine was ready to talk about Morgause, what would he say about Merlin and the others?

"Maybe," Arthur replied, "Aglain gave him something for the pain, might have loosened him up as well."

Arthur reached out and patted Gwaine's cheek lightly. He moved Gwaine's face left and right, trying to wake him. "Hey. Wake up. Wake up."

Gwaine groaned, but his eyes opened fully.

"What's your name?" Arthur asked.

Gwaine stayed silent and Merlin rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

"Okay," Arthur crouched down beside him, "Why are you working for Morgause Blake? What does she want with Morgana? How long have you been following Morgana?"

Gwaine groaned, clutching his sides. "Take me to a hospital."

"We had our Doctor in, he said you'll be just fine," Arthur's eyes hardened.

"Somehow I don't quite trust you," Gwaine laughed shakily.

"I think we should get him to a hospital," Merlin said suddenly.

"Not until I get some answers," Arthur shook his head.

Gwaine's eyes fluttered shut and his body stilled. Arthur shared a look with Merlin and reached out to slap Gwaine roughly across the cheek. Gwaine's face moved with the movement but his eyes stayed shut.

"He's out," Merlin said, "Look, if we don't get him to a hospital, he might die and I'm sure Uther will do whatever he can to make sure you and Morgana aren't charged with manslaughter but this will be on your conscience for the rest of your life. Are you willing to live with that?"

Arthur started, "But Morgana—"

"Is with Morgause right now," Merlin interrupted, "Any answers at all, no matter truthful or not would probably come from her."

"Fine," Arthur groaned, "I'll call an ambulance. You go and see if Gwen's tracked Morgana's cell phone yet."

Merlin took one last look at Gwaine on the couch and then left the room.

**::**

* * *

Morgana walked into a plush penthouse apartment on the outskirts of the Greater London area. The black town car had driven her twenty minutes south of Camelot and stopped outside a silver themed sky scraper. The stranger who had escorted her from her apartment followed her out of the car and led her to the entrance of the building. The door man held the door open, commenting to the 'lovely couple' to have a good night.

Morgana could barely manage a smile. She rode up the elevator with the stranger in complete silence and was a little shocked when the elevator opened up right into the apartment. The man stayed behind as Morgana walked into the luxurious apartment. It room was dark and moonlit, shadows trickling down the walls and onto the floor, creating wavy lines and mismatched shapes. It looked how Morgana felt inside.

The apartment seemed empty, but Morgana kept bracing herself for a clown to jump out of nowhere and scare the hell out of her. She took another step forward, surveying the décor. Everything was black and white inside; it reminded her of Arthur's apartment. Very much monochrome. All wooden objects were dark and glossy, and the ceiling had a dip in the middle where five crystal chandeliers hung.

"You'll have to forgive me," said a silky voice from the shadows, "I don't know what a hostess offers their secret half sibling." A tall slim blonde woman stepped out from the corner of the room, where she had been hiding behind a tall pine oak cabinet displaying horse riding trophies.

"Well," Morgana tipped her head to the right, "Since we're British, you could offer me some tea."

"What a pity, I'm fresh out," Morgause said.

"No problem," Morgana replied, "Kidnapping people from their homes really does take all the priorities."

Morgause looked down, sighing. "I am sorry for that. Honestly. When my sources told me that you had called Alvarr in search of me, I knew I could no longer hide in plain sight. I had to meet you, in a way that Uther would never find out."

"I don't understand," Morgana confessed, "Have you known this whole time?"

"When I was eighteen," Morgause started, "I received a bond, for quite a lot of money. And with it, came a letter. From Gorlois le Fay. He told me everything; that I was adopted, who my mother was, where they were, who you were… But, I was eighteen years old, and angry. I didn't want to meet them any more than I wanted their money. It took me years to figure out what I should do. Eventually I used the money to start my own business."

"What, a _retrieval_ company?" Morgana smirked bitterly.

"New age alternative remedies," Morgause said softly, "Herbal cures; for people who didn't want to rely on medicine and drugs and Doctors. You might have heard of it; Old Religion Enterprises, or O.R.E for short."

Morgana looked down. "I have heard of it; it's what we use as complimentary toiletries in Camelot. Does Uther know about you?"

"Absolutely not," Morgause shook her head, "And you can't tell him, Morgana. He's a dangerous man and at the end of everything, he hated our mother. Despised her."

"What are you talking about?" Morgana frowned, "I want the truth; all of it. Now!"

"I found our mother recently, and I saw her," Morgause explained quickly, "She's—"

"Locked in a psychiatric unit, I know!"

"—in trouble! She's just as sane as you and I, Morgana! But Uther didn't want people taking her seriously, because she knows what he did to your father, she was there. And so were _you_."

"What?" Morgana's blood ran cold. "No, n-no, my father died in a car accident! And my mother, lost her mind when—"

"Uther paid some very bad people a lot of money to declare your mother insane," Morgause said evenly, "She was locked away and eventually she stopped talking completely, but she still has all her wits about her. When I was ready to meet my family, I went to see her last year, not expecting much because I was fooled just like everybody else! But then she started talking and told me everything. I made sure Uther would never find out I was there and promised our mother I would save you. I promised her I would help you remember."

"But…" Morgana gasped, "I saw my mother today, she said that _I_ was to find _you_! She said I was to make sure you were okay! She acted like she had never met you before!"

"All part of our plan," Morgause explained, "When you put out that call to Alvarr to find me, I was alerted by my sources. Our mother said, you'd only be receptive to the plan when you tried to find me, so when you did, I knew it was time to finally meet you."

"I still don't understand," Morgana stumbled backwards, "W-what plan?"

"To make Uther pay for everything he's done," Morgause said vehemently, "He destroyed your family, Morgana. He destroyed _our_ family."

"My mother was _fine_ this whole time?!" Morgana exploded, "She was f-fine?! And you… and her… you were in this together… You… lied to me, both of you! You made me feel so alone!" she spun around, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Morgana, please," Morgause followed her, "I'm sorry we had to lie to you all this time, really, I am! But you were too close to Uther, if he suspected you had remembered, or if he thought for one second that Vivienne was talking again, he would have silenced you, just like he did with Gorlois and our mother. This all had to happen at the exact right time it had to happen. Any second off and everything would fall apart."

Morgana grabbed hold of a nearby white pillar. "You had me followed, you watched my entire life without even…"

"Gwaine is just a freelancer," Morgause said, "I hired him last month, just to tail you, to make sure you were okay, but I haven't been spying on your entire life, I promise."

Morgana closed her eyes for a second and let out a deep breath. She pushed herself away from the pillar and tried to regain her composure. "This is the last thing I need right now. Do you even understand how chaotic my life is right now? I have to confirm the ice sculptures for Albion, re-pick the flowers, order the flooring and reconstruct the wine menu—"

"Morgana," Morgause stared at her rambling sister, "Morgana, you can't trust Uther—"

"—then there's the lights, maybe we'll go for chandeliers," Morgana continued rambling nevertheless, "yes, I like that idea, chandeliers, in every level, maybe even in the hotel rooms, Uther would love that, crystals and decorations and wine…" she trailed off, her face white.

"Morgana," Morgause said gently, "Please just listen to me, I think you're in shock."

"Why would I be in shock?" Morgana snapped coldly, "It's not like I've just found out my entire life is a lie! It's not like I've just found out that my mother was able to speak this whole fucking time! It's not like, my entire life is crumbling to pieces and all I can think about is Albion and Uther and conman Emrys and oh yeah, my secret half sister!" her head titled, "Oh. Wait a minute."

"You need space," Morgause said decidedly, "I understand. You need time to process this, I get it. But you cannot tell Uther you know about any of this, Morgana. It will be the end of everything you know and love."

Morgana opened her mouth to reply but the sound of her phone ringing cut her off. With shaky hands, she pulled it out of her jeans pocket, still staring the whole time at Morgause. Morgana's trembling hands dropped her phone to the ground but the white piece of technology survived the fall and continued to ring.

"Let me," Morgause offered softly. She bent down and picked up the phone, looking at the caller ID. It said: MERLIN AMBROSIUS.

Morgana took her phone back and declined the call, her stomach clenching tightly.

"You said Emrys a second ago," Morgause said, frowning.

"Yes, I did," Morgana blinked, unable to care why Morgause was asking.

"Is he a friend?" Morgause continued.

"It's an alias," Morgana whispered, "He's a conman after Albion, apparently," her eyes flickered, "I have to go. Arthur and the others will be worried about me."

"And you don't know who Emrys is?" Morgause asked.

"If I did, would I be worrying about it?" Morgana replied irritably.

"I feel I can shed some light on the situation," Morgause said firmly, but her eyes were sad. "Maybe you should sit down for a second."

"Why?" Morgana laughed humourlessly, "What could you possibly tell me now that's worse than what you've already said?"

"When I was at university," Morgause whispered, "I studied in Wales. I picked up some Welsh."

"So, what?" Morgana snapped. "What does any of that have to do with Emrys?"

"Emrys is a Welsh name," Morgause replied, "And the English version of Emrys, is Ambrosius."


	16. The Sweet Dreams

**A/N: **This has to be the darkest chapter I've ever written for a fanfiction story. Quite a lot of warnings actually: minor violence, profanity, sexual scenes, themes of murder, angst, depression, and mentions of self harm. _Please_ don't read this if you have a vulnerable mentality and/or any issues with the aforementioned. I hate being late or overdue with updates but this one really took it out of me.

I hope you like it. I really, really do. Review?!

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Fifteen**

_The Sweet Dreams_

**::**

"Are you sure you tracked her phone here?" Arthur looked past Merlin and asked Gwen. The three of them were standing outside of a silver building twenty minutes south of Camelot. The building was lit up the sides of it but all the windows itself had rather dim lighting. The dark sky above looked ready to swoop down and wrap it's arms around the haunting place. It gave off a horrible vibe; a dark tingle that attacked the body rather than caressed it.

"I'm positive," Gwen said firmly, "I tracked it here. The sooner we get Morgana, we can go to the hospital and see if that man is ready to talk." There was no way Gwen could live with herself if Gwaine suffered long term injuries. First being kicked by Morgana in the ribs last week and now being beaten up by her. Fair enough, Gwaine shouldn't have tried to kidnap her but he didn't deserve to die. Anymore than Morgana deserved being duped by Merlin and herself.

"I wonder if I can bribe the doorman into telling us which apartment Morgause lives in," Arthur wondered aloud. He didn't miss Gwen's audible sigh. Arthur only knew how to solve problems with money; it was just how he'd been raised. If he lived a more simpler life, this whole night might seem a little far fetched but Arthur had experienced things worst than just a mere kidnap attempt.

"It doesn't matter what we do anymore," Merlin said suddenly, "Just as long as we get Morgana back." As soon as he spoke those words, it was like God had received them. Thunder ruptured above as the lobby doors slid open automatically and the sight of Morgana appeared. The doorman opened the outer building doors for her, bidding her with a goodbye smile. Morgana gave one of her own.

"That was easy," Gwen muttered.

Morgana strode towards them, different than how she'd left them. She looked changed since they'd saw her last. She was freer but more confined. Eager but secretive. Lost, but somehow found. It looked like she had finally lost the last fuck she could give, about anything. Her face was slight, if not out rightly mocking, her eyes were cold, like one glance over could cause frostbite and her smile was devoid of any real emotion. She looked like a robot.

"Morgana!" Arthur cried, "How could you be so stupid? What happened? What did Morgause tell you?"

"Everything," Morgana said. Her gaze drifted to Merlin and he felt a coldness spread throughout him he hadn't experienced before. "She told me everything."

"Okay," Arthur said without patience, "So, answers? Why has she been following you? What does she want?"

"She wants Uther's head on a pike," Morgana said, tilting her head mockingly.

"Why?" Arthur scrunched his face up. "Why, what's my father ever done to her?"

"Honestly, Arthur," Morgana said casually, "I wouldn't worry about it. Business rivalries and all."

Arthur pulled back, giving his sister a quizzical look. "What? What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine," Morgana patted Arthur's cheek immaturely. "I would just like to go home and sleep, okay? That's all I want."

"What about that guy who attacked you?" Gwen asked suddenly.

"Oh, Gwaine?" Morgana smirked, and the sound of Gwaine's name from her lips caused Merlin and Gwen to share the same panicked look. "He's just a freelancer for Morgause. Take him to the hospital, don't take him to the hospital. I really couldn't care less."

"She could have concussion," Gwen whispered to Arthur and Merlin, "Could explain her attitude."

"Speak up, Gwen!" Morgana cried suddenly, "Can't hear your little meek voice over the sounds of the passing cars."

"Morgana," Arthur started, unsure, "Maybe we should—"

"Does the innocent act ever work for you?" Morgana asked Gwen abruptly.

Gwen's mouth opened and closed, "Uh..."

"You heard me," Morgana said slowly, "The innocent act; the whole birds-help-me-dress-in-the-morning and men-fall-over-themselves-trying-to marry-me... Does it ever work?"

Gwen swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at Merlin with worried eyes.

"Bored now," Morgana quipped. She hooked her fingers into Merlin's arm and pulled him towards her, "So sweet," she mushed his cheeks together with her hand.

"We really should let a Doctor take a look at you," Arthur said suddenly, "Morgause might have given you something."

"Oh she did," Morgana said lowly, "That much I can tell you. But I don't need a Doctor, do I Merlin? No, what I need, only he can give me," she let her fingers trail down the front of his chest.

"Inappropriate," Arthur muttered.

"Considering the circumstances," Morgana drawled, "I'd say it's entirely appropriate. Isn't that right, Merlin?"

Merlin looked down at her with confused eyes.

"So, we're gonna go," Morgana told Arthur and Gwen, "And we'll speak to you, tomorrow! That's if, Merlin makes it out alive," she laughed, dragging him along with her.

Gwen and Arthur stared after them, blinking.

"That was..." Gwen mumbled.

"Yeah." Arthur agreed.

**::**

* * *

Merlin trailed awkwardly after Morgana as they walked into her apartment. She strode straight past him, down the hall and into her living room. She'd been acting strangely ever since she left Morgause's apartment but it was just getting worse. She'd been weird and forward around him and then quiet and stony faced in the taxi on the way over. Her mood swings were changing so much he was getting whiplash.

"Morgana," Merlin followed her into the kitchen, "Let's talk about what happened tonight, and if you're ready, maybe we can talk about what I wanted to finish saying earlier. If you want to. If you're ready."

Morgana spun around, her dark eyes penetrating his like cut glass against clear skin. Her lips like the red blood spilling from cut arteries. Her hair black as the darkest soul. In that moment in time, she looked predatory. Merlin felt like a lamb; a helpless animal about to be devoured by her. He was confused, was her mere glaze supposed to be arousing or intimidating? He felt a mixture of both.

Then she turned around and walked towards her sound system. She fiddled around with the buttons for a moment and suddenly, Emily Browning's _Sweet Dreams _cover began to play. It was dark and low and seductive and it twisted Merlin's stomach into knots. Something was wrong. Something was deadly, irrevocably wrong. The look in Morgana's eyes was anything but familiar.

_**Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree? Travel the world and the seven seas... Everybody's looking for something.**_

"Morgana?" Merlin whispered, confused. "What's wrong?"

"You tell me," her lips curved upwards. Then after a moment she said, "You think you know someone, and then you discover... They're nothing what you think they were." She circled him.

He moved around in time with her; each just circling the other like predators stalking prey. "It's not as simple as that," he said lowly.

_**Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you.**_

"Oh it's never that simple," her eyebrow quirked. "But I bet it's fun."

"Lying is never fun," his eyes cast downwards, his words careful, "It's... exhausting."

"I'm sure," Morgana mocked him with her head titled. "Tell me, Merlin. What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

His gaze levelled with hers, "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

She ignored him and sang the next line of _Sweet Dreams_, in such a low whisper that it travelled down Merlin's spine and flitted through his soul:

"_**Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want **__**to be abused.**_"

"Dance with me," Morgana began to sway, across the space between them and over to him. She hooked her fingernails over his shoulder and pulled him against her. His hands slid up her back, his heart beating like a drum. She pressed her lips against his neck and her blood red lipstick smudged against his pale alabaster skin.

She moved against him in time to the sensual music, her fingernails digging in further, leaving marks. Merlin let out a shaky breath. He found he didn't care. He wanted to be marked by her. He found, in the deeper pits of his tainted subconscious, that he wanted to mark her as well.

"Can you feel that?" Morgana gasped into his ear. She took his hand and slid it under her top, up her smooth naked skin and under her bra. His cold nimble fingers splayed across her breast as she pressed his hand harder against her. Then he felt it. Her heartbeat. It was racing just as fast as his was. His head was spinning, lost in this moment, in this heat. He wasn't thinking clearly and neither was she.

_**Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree? Travel the world and the seven seas... Everybody's looking for something.**_

"You lied to me," Morgana let her hand drift downwards, grabbing him in between his legs. He gasped silently as she stroked him, satisfied by the way he responded to her touch. "You used me," tears swarmed into her eyes. She never let him go, his hand still rested on her breast.

Merlin struggled to think straight but he knew one thing for sure: Morgause had told Morgana about Emrys. "I never wanted to hurt you," he leaned against her shoulder for support as her administrations quickened. "I only wanted to hurt Uther. He betra...yed! Gaius... He broke him. Put him in the hosp—pital... You were never the target."

"It amazes me," Morgana growled huskily, "How you can make me sick and wet at the same time."

Merlin's hands grabbed her hips and pressed them against his pelvis.

"I trusted you," Morgana grimaced in pleasure as his fingers unbuttoned her jeans and slipped inside her underwear. She trembled against him as his cold fingers entered her.

"You still trust me," Merlin panted.

**_Some of them want to use yo__u._**

"You promised me you'd never hurt me," Morgana used her free hand to grip his shoulder.

"I hate myself," Merlin confessed, his eyes dark and clouded.

"I hate you too," Morgana winced and moaned at the same time. "Faster," she commanded, her knees weak.

Merlin's fingers moved faster, his own ache growing bigger and more desperate with each gasp that escaped her mouth. The music built in time with their own near release.

_**Some of them want to get used by you.**_

"Now," Morgana couldn't take another second without him. She wrenched his hand away from her legs and clawed at his belt buckle. His jeans dropped to the floor.

His hands ripped off her top and began to slide down her own jeans. She shoved him onto the floor and straddled his hips, unbecoming undone. It wasn't a loved filled touch or an adoring glance. Her movements were demanding and her eyes were angry.

Merlin reached out and smashed their lips together, desperate to have some kind of intimacy with her during it. Even though they were naked, about to be one, he had never felt further away from her. He had never felt so alone.

She came down on him and gasped. He filled all of her, her warmth suffocating him. Her hair swung backwards as their hips met and drew away, each thrust as hard as they could make it. She bit her lip so hard she drew blood. Merlin gasped beneath her, both writhing.

_**Some of them want to abuse you.**_

It wasn't gentle. It was erotic and lustful and so full of emotion it left them almost faint. Merlin grabbed the back of her neck and forced her lips down to meet his, her cut lip moving against his. He tasted her blood on his tongue and it drove him on.

He grabbed her ass and tried to make each thrust deeper than the last. She responded against him, leaning down to accommodate his movements. During their passionate moment, they both locked eyes. Merlin felt the breath knocked out of his lungs. Morgana had tears streaming down her face. She was looking at him like this was the last time she was going to see him alive again, and it chilled him to the bone. He'd never seen her look so... uncertain before. She clutched his naked chest, desperate, as if never wanting to let go.

When they finally came together, she leaned upwards, her back arched as her body trembled and her face contorted in ecstasy. Her vibrations even spurred Merlin's own climax and for a moment—just for a moment—he was frozen in time. Looking at her straddling his hips, her pale skin, her long tumbling dark locks, her whole body naked and on fire for him... It made him want to die.

_**Some of them want to be abused.**_

And then she was off of him and they were disconnected. Their bond was broken.

"Get dressed and get out," she said coldly.

Merlin struggled to stand up, his body still on a high. She was only one he could reach _those_ kinds of heights with. "Why the hell did we do that then?" he gestured between them.

"That, my dear, was goodbye."

"Morgana," he reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. His grip was tight, sore even. It left marks. She didn't even flinch.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Morgana blinked, devoid of emotion, "Tell me the truth Merlin. Was it all just for Gaius or was there some dark little part of you that just wanted to fuck me?"

"We did more than fuck," Merlin's eyes narrowed. "I know you felt it between us. I know you know."

"I don't know anything anymore!" she screamed, shoving him away from her so hard that he stumbled backwards. "I let you into my heart and into my bed and you used me, like a Kleenex!"

"Morgana, I'm not perfect!" Merlin roared, "I met you in the hospital gift shop before I ever knew who you were! I liked you first, before I ever knew you were Uther's adopted daughter! I promise you! At first, it was, okay, I admit it, it was a con, but then I got to know you, and I fell—"

"Don't you dare," she hissed.

"I fell in love with you!" he cried hoarsely. "I _love_ you."

Tears streamed down her face. She was so betrayed and conflicted. So hurt. She had never fallen further from sanity before. She was on the edge and she wasn't sure she was going to get saved this time. First Uther's betrayal. Then her mother's. Then Morgause's... and now Merlin's. She had a horrible urge to hurt herself, or start throwing things. Destroy everything she ever knew, like everything had destroyed her.

"Morgana," Merlin's voice was low. He saw it. Her fragile break from reality. Her possible descent into madness. She was so broken, even before he met her but more so now.

"Get out!" she screamed, "Get out! Get out, or I'll call security! Get out!" she picked up a nearby vase that was a gift from Uther and launched it his way. He ducked and missed it's hit, but it landed with a smash on the wall behind him.

"Get out," she whispered, exhausted. "You don't want to mess with me right now, Merlin. For the first time in my life, I'm not quite sure what I might do."

Merlin faltered. His presence was just harming her now. He couldn't do anything. Couldn't get through to her. Not until she calmed down and had some time to process everything. He shoved on his jeans, grabbed his top and started down the hallway.

She stood in the hallway's door frame, naked and broken, watching him leave. He turned at the bottom of the hall and saw her, just staring at him. He had never felt so guilty before in his life.

She had asked him earlier, _"__What's the worst thing you've ever done?" _He hadn't known before, but he definitely knew now. He slipped through her front door and left.

Morgana just stood there for a while—she didn't know how long—just stood there and stared at the dark empty hallway. Stared at her door that had just opened and closed. Stared at everything she thought she knew, only to find out nothing was what it seemed.

The _Sweet Dreams_ cover she'd put on earlier by Emily Browning had repeated itself over and over, and it was now boring itself into the deepest fragments of her skull, imprinting on one of her darkest memories. She'd never be able to listen to that song again without thinking of Merlin and his betrayal.

She couldn't stand it any longer. She let out a throat piercing scream and spun around, charging straight for her sound system. She grabbed it and flung it to the ground. It shattered and broke, and the music went dead. The silence threatened to consume her, but she didn't listen to it. She couldn't stop herself. She started trashing her living room; knocking down her cabinet, throwing her pictures across the room, breaking mirrors and shoving chairs into her windows. She had completely lost the plot. She was on the edge, but she wasn't completely broken... _yet_.

She gasped, exhausted, as she surveyed the mess she'd made. The sight of red blood caught her eye and she looked down, seeing her bloody and cut palm. She must have cut it during her rampage on her living room. She couldn't tear her eyes away from it, as the red blood ran down her pale skin, as it dripped to the floor... Her heart beat thudded faster and faster. Something was happening. Her body was screaming for salvation.

And, like a bullet to the brain... She remembered what she'd forgotten.

She remembered.

_Morgana knew she was supposed to be sleeping when she snuck out into the hallway but the guest room she had been shooed into earlier was freezing and the décor looked daunting; like the rest of Uther's apartment. Stuffed animal heads hung over the bed and looked menacing the dim light. Arthur's bedroom was at the end of the hall but they'd gotten into an immature fight earlier and Morgana decided not to wake him._

_Gaius had taken her and Arthur out earlier to a traveling circus and later dinner while their parents went out to the theatre together. When they arrived back at Uther's apartment, their parents hadn't come back yet so Gaius put both the children to bed and settled in the living room with Uther's old bottle of scotch. As Morgana opened the guest room door and snuck out, she started to hear something distinctive._

_Rising noises from downstairs had gotten Morgana's attention. Usually, her parents and Arthur's father laughed a lot together, but the noises this time weren't from laughter. They were shouts. Angry, crazed, frenzied shouts. Morgana crept down the stairs, suddenly wondering if she should have gone back and woken Arthur._

_When she reached the foyer, she realised that the cries were no longer in the living room and had drifted into the kitchen. She started to hear Gaius's voice mingled in with the voices of her parents and Arthur's father. Sometimes they argued over work but it was never like this. Things were being broken and thrown around. Morgana was almost surprised that Arthur hadn't woken from the noise._

_Despite her better judgment, she wanted to wade into the room and tell everyone to shut up. They were giving her a headache. She crept into the living room where Gaius's nature programme continued to play in the background. When she got to the kitchen door, it was open a crack and she peered inside; seeing the arguing adults. Her mother looked done up; in a black dress with her hair up and her neck decorated with diamonds. Uther and Gorlois were wearing suits, not like their business suits, but something much classier._

"_You think I'm this fool?" Gorlois spat at Uther angrily, "You actually thought I was this stupid fool you could walk all over?"_

"_Vivienne told me it's a loveless marriage!" Uther snapped back, "You never pay attention to her anymore, no wonder she went looking!"_

"_You son of a bitch!" Gorlois said._

"_Would you both calm down?" Vivienne shrieked._

"_Calm down?" Gorlois barked, "You're lucky I don't take Morgana and leave with her right now!"_

"_Over my dead body," Vivienne hissed._

"_All of you!" Gaius cried, "Enough! You can talk about this later! Not here. The children are upstairs asleep."_

"_You better watch your back, Uther," Gorlois said darkly, "Because the moment you aren't looking, I swear to God, I will burn your world to ashes and take everything you have."_

_Uther laughed, "How the hell do you think you're going to do that? You, Gorlois le Fay, are nothing. Without me, you'd be the dirt on my shoes."_

"_I know things!" Gorlois cried, "You don't think I don't know things? I've been at your company for less than a year and I've got so much dirt on you, enough to bury you with."_

"_You wouldn't dare," Uther hissed._

"_Try me," Gorlois replied cockily._

"_Think about the children," Vivienne begged both men, "Please don't start a war over me. Think about Arthur and Morgana—"_

_All of a sudden, Gorlois reached out and slapped Vivienne across the face. Gaius gaped and Uther narrowed his eyes. Vivienne's head whipped round with the sheer force of his attack and she placed a hand over her red cheek with shock. Morgana clapped a hand over her mouth to silence her gasp. Tears watered into her eyes. She had never seen her father lift a hand to her mother before._

"_Shut your mouth you filthy whore," Gorlois said to his wife, "I have sacrificed so much for you and you repay me by having an affair with my best friend?"_

"_That was inappropriate!" Gaius cried._

"_I don't give a damn about inappropriate!" Gorlois lost it, bellowing from the bottom of his lungs._

_Morgana practically shook outside the kitchen door. She had never been terrified of her father before._

"_I have to leave," Vivienne shook her head, tears spilling onto her cheeks. "I'm taking Morgana and we're leaving." She turned for the kitchen door._

"_You most certainly are not!" Gorlois grabbed Vivienne's wrist and pulled her back._

_Uther jumped in, grabbing Gorlois's shoulders. "Let her go!" Uther demanded._

"_Stop it! All of you!" Gaius begged, wading into the mix and trying to pry them apart from each other._

"_Let me go," Vivienne said desperately to her enraged husband._

"_I will divorce you and take everything," Gorlois threatened angrily, "You will never see Morgana again!"_

_Gorlois reached out to grab Vivienne's throat and Morgana watched from her hidden position; utterly terrified. Gorlois wrapped his hands around Vivienne's neck and began to squeeze, a crazed look on his face. Acting on instinct, Uther grabbed the closest thing he could find – which was a nearby blender – and suddenly whacked Gorlois over the head with it._

_Gorlois's body hit the kitchen floor with a thud and Morgana jerked away from the kitchen door, eyes petrified. Vivienne screamed, Gaius gasped in horror and Uther stumbled backwards, dropping the blender to his feet. Blood poured from Gorlois's head wound onto the shiny black floor. There was so much blood. Morgana thought there was enough blood to swim in it. _

_So much red, so much red, so much red, so much red, so much red._

_Morgana couldn't stop a scream escaping from her throat. She fell backwards onto the floor as the kitchen door swung open and Gaius, Uther and Vivienne stared at her. Gorlois's body lay still on the kitchen floor where he had landed._

"_Morgana, what are you doing up?" Uther demanded._

_"Morgana, Morgana, no, don't look, sweetheart," __Vivienne started to say as Morgana scrambled to her feet, trying to get to her father. Vivienne grabbed Morgana by the shoulders and pulled her back, "Come away from there, Morgana! Come on, don't cry, everything's going to be fine."_

_Gaius crouched down and pressed two fingers to Gorlois's neck __to check his pulse __before standing back up, "He's dead."_

_Vivienne shook her head, dazed. "No. No, he can't be!"_

_Uther swallowed, glancing worriedly to Morgana._

"_We have to phone the police," Vivienne said suddenly._

"_What, no!" Uther objected. "It was an accident, I was defending you!"_

"_Exactly!" Vivienne cried back, "You won't go to jail for this, you're Uther Pendragon!"_

"_I can clean this mess up," Uther said determinedly._

"_What the hell does that mean?" Vivienne narrowed her eyes._

"_It means I have a reputation to consider," Uther said darkly, "And whether you want to admit it or not, you'd rather he die than yourself. __S__o why don't you just thank me for saving your life and help me clean this up?"_

"_What about Morgana?" Gaius asked quietly._

_Morgana had frozen to the spot, her eyes fixated on Gorlois's dead body._

"_I'll call my... __'__cleaners__'__," Uther pulled out his phone, "They'll be here soon, make up a cover story," he looked at Vivienne, "I suggest you take Morgana back upstairs and explain to her why it's a clever idea she should never tell anyone what she saw, __unless she wants—__"_

"_Uther, don't threaten a child," Gaius said, horrified._

"_Why not?" Uther replied, blasé about the whole thing. "__I'm going to hell anyway, why stop at just manslaughter?"_

"_Enough," Vivienne hissed at him, "__I still think we should go to the police."_

"_Anyone whose not with me, is against me," Uther said suddenly. "And now you know what happens to people who aren't with me," he glanced at Gorlois, "So, Gaius... Vivienne... Are you with me? Or against me?"_

_Gaius hesitated, for a fraction of a second and then he said, "I'm with you."_

_Vivienne was clinging onto Morgana tightly as she whispered, "W—with you." __She turned back to Morgana and took her daughter's hand. "Let's go upstairs, sweetheart," she lead Morgana—who was still frozen in shock—back through the living room towards the staircase, __leaving her dead husband behind._

**::**

* * *

Everything she'd ever known was a lie.

This was supposed to be her home, but it was just an empty cage.

She loves it here.

Correction: **Loved** it here.

**::**

* * *

_**Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree?**_


	17. The Riverboat Song

**A/N:** I've been away for a while, I hold my hands up, I am sorry. I cite personal issues as my reason, don't hate me! Anyway, warnings for this chapter: mentions of self-harm, depression, suicidal thoughts and profanity. _Please_ don't read this if you have a vulnerable mentality and/or any issues with the aforementioned.

Anyway I hope everyone's still interested until the end, which I do intend to finish. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

**Queen's Gambit**

**::**

**Chapter Sixteen**

_The Riverboat Song_

**::**

**Midnight**

The shovel slammed into the freshly turned soil, tore the contents from the ground and threw the earth into the mounting pile nearby. The sound of the shovel in the dead of night echoed like shattering glass upon marble. The gloved hands attached to the shovel were unrelenting, their face hidden by a black hood. The cemetery was empty – if you didn't include dead people. The bright moon hung in the navy blue sky above, like an omen in disguise.

Once the shovel stopped hitting mud and started hitting the coffin lid, the hooded figure pulled back and took a moment, before glancing to the lifeless corpse of Gwaine. Digging up a freshly filled grave was the best place to plant a dead body: nobody would suspect anything. The hooded figure kicked Gwaine into the grave: he landed on the coffin lid with a _thump_.

Then, in a crazed frenzy, the hooded figure began to fill the grave again, not even stopping when the skies opened up and it rained down. It didn't take as long to fill the grave as it did to empty it and soon enough, the earth was back in it's rightful place. The hooded figure stomped on the muddy wet grass with their black combat boots to even the layer down.

Then, they looked at the wet headstone. It belonged to an elderly woman in her seventies, who had passed naturally in her sleep. Nobody would be digging up her grave any time soon. For now, it seemed, that the murder of Gwaine would go undiscovered.

There was only the sound of squelching mud as the hooded figure picked up their shovel and walked back towards the woods.

**::**

* * *

**Later That Night**

"What the hell would Gwaine be doing here?" Gwen asked Merlin as they slipped through the rusty black gates of Camden Cemetery, the sound of crunching pebbles under their feet. It was way past closing time in the black of night and known for it's lax security and non-supervision. Teenagers often crept into the cemetery for pranks, or to make out. Gwen was holding a mini iPad in her hand as they carried on up the pebbled path towards the layout of headstones.

"Why does this seem like a bad idea?" Merlin asked, his pale cheeks tinted red from the cold night air. It was so cold that he could see his own breath in the form of mist. He was wearing a heavy black jacket and gloves over his hands but he still felt the cold as if he were naked. He looked over Gwen's shoulder and saw her iPad. "Are you sure his phone is here?"

"Yes, I'm positive," Gwen nodded, "Lancelot showed me how to track a phone's GPS while it's still on and has signal. This is the first time Gwaine's phone's had signal in a week and trust me, we're going to find him. And... according to this map, we're almost at his location. Come on, it's just up this hill." She pointed towards the slanted hill full of headstones and the backdrop of wooded trees behind them.

"Why does this feel like a trap?" Merlin muttered under his breath. "I mean, we know Gwaine was working for Morgause, what if he's luring us here to kill us or something? Who knows how long Gwaine was under Morgause's thumb for? My asking him for help was just a coincidence but that was the best thing that ever happened to him, given everything he's involved in."

"Gwaine may be untruthful and unworthy of trust," Gwen whispered back, "but he's not a murderer. I don't think he ever planned to hurt Morgana. Honestly? I don't know why he was working for Morgause but I can guess it has everything to do with money."

"How do you figure?"

"Isn't that what everything comes back to?" Gwen looked at Merlin, "Money? It's always about money. It's money with you and Gaius, it's money with Lancelot and the others, it's money with Uther and Morgana and Arthur. It always leads back to money." She swallowed and then asked, "Speaking of Morgana, you still haven't spoken to her?"

Merlin shook his head. "No. She made it clear she wanted space and I'm giving her it. Besides, I don't think I could face her right now. Not after how we left things..." his mind flashed back to that fateful night where his entire world had crashed down around him. After making his way up the slanted hill into the main clearing of the cemetery, he looked around and frowned. "Gwen, there's nobody here."

Gwen walked on further and stopped right on top of a freshly filled grave slot. "There must be a mistake. Look at this map, it says he should be right _here_." She looked around, "Maybe he's passed out behind a headstone or something. He did run away from the hospital without being discharged, what if he's still injured? Maybe he went into hiding because he was scared of what Morgause would do when she found him."

As Gwen began to scour behind the nearby headstones for any signs of a passed out, injured Gwaine, Merlin crept closer towards the freshly filled grave slot that Gwen had been standing on and inspected it closely. He peered through the darkness, wondering if his paranoia was getting the better of him. Since the cemetery closed at eight in the evening, shouldn't the earth have settled by now, 2 in the morning, and not looked so... messy and uneven?

"Gwaine is not here," Gwen said breathlessly as she walked back to Merlin, "I've looked behind every headstone within the 14 yard radius of his phone and he's not here." She looked back to her iPad, "I don't know, maybe Lancelot's technology tricks have finally failed, but Gwaine's not here. There must be a glitch."

"I know," Merlin straightened up and pulled out his phone, "I'll just phone Gwaine's phone."

Gwen blinked, "Why didn't I think of that?" she wanted to smack herself in the face.

"Because you haven't slept in 74 hours," Merlin replied, looking at her with a tilted head. "Seriously. You need to sleep. You have to stop worrying about this situation, you can't control what's going to—oh it's ringing," he had pressed his phone to his ear and heard the ringing down the line. Both he and Gwen stopped talking to listen.

It was so silent that the air around them began to bounce off itself. A bird fluttered from the nest of a nearby tree. An owl hooted in the woods. And then—

_Ring. Ring._

Merlin's head whipped round so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Lying just a few yards away from his feet, was Gwaine's phone. Gwaine's ringing phone. Merlin rushed over and picked up the wet muddy Blackberry.

"What the hell?" Gwen muttered, walking over to him, "Gwaine's phone? Do you think he dropped it or something?"

"Maybe," Merlin declined his own call on Gwaine's Blackberry to silence the ringing. "I don't know. His phone has either been off or without signal for a week and only traceable now. So what does that tell us?"

"Either he dropped his phone when he was here, or someone stole his phone and dropped it here?" Gwen shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe this is where he meets up with Morgause on one of their sordid meet-ups."

"Well, maybe we can find something on his phone that can help us find him, or Morgause." Merlin shrugged back, "Come on, let's get out of here. It's starting to get creepy."

"_Starting_?" Gwen arched her eyebrow. "It got creepy one kidnap attempt and a heart attack ago."

They started back down the slanted path towards the rusty black gates.

**::**

* * *

**The Next Day**

Arthur was sitting at his kitchen table, tapping his fingers against the wooden surface. He was staring anxiously at his phone, occasionally biting his lip. He waited another moment before snatching up his phone and speed-dialling number one. It rang three times before he got an answer.

"_Hi."_

"Morgana," Arthur said breathlessly, "Now your phone is on? Where the hell have you been? I haven't spoken to you in over a week, all I get in some vague text! That could have been from anyone, how am I supposed to know what happened to you? _And_ I saw your apartment, I was worried sick! I thought someone had tried to kidnap you again. Morgana—what the hell is going on?"

"_I can't explain everything right now, Arthur, but I need you to keep your mouth shut. Do you understand? I just need some time away from London and everything there. But I'm safe, okay? I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just don't tell Uther about Morgause. I need time to work everything out."_

"'Away from London'?" Arthur repeated, "Have you left the UK? _Where_ are you?"

"_It doesn't matter, but I can't involve you, not because I don't want to, but because it's not safe for you to know everything. I'm sorry."_

"You're seriously freaking me out, Morgana," Arthur's voice went high, "First Morgause tries to kidnap you—_twice_—and then you run off leaving me with nothing but a measly text! I want some goddamn answers, okay? I'm your brother, do you understand? I'm not some random acquaintance you can't trust. So stop acting like I can't handle myself."

"_I do trust you, more than anybody, but you are too close to the problem, do you even understand that? You're too close to the... Look Arthur, I have to go. Just know, I'm safe. Please don't call this number again, I'm using disposable phones now."_

Arthur's face scrunched up, "Disposable—"

The line went dead. He withdrew the phone from his ear and buried his face in his hands.

"It appears to me, Arthur, that your sibling bond is at an irrevocable place. Don't you agree?"

Arthur looked up, his eyes narrowed at his father. Uther was standing at the other end of the kitchen, his arms folded across his chest.

"No," Arthur stood up, "I don't agree at all. Morgana's running scared from someone and I think it's got everything to do with that Morgause woman. Look, can't you use your resources to find Morgana? Or Morgause? That's the only reason I told you about everything, father! I saw her apartment, have you seen it? It looks like someone took a wrecking ball to it and where is she?" his voice shrieked, "Where is Morgana?"

"Control yourself," Uther said tersely. "You're not a child."

Arthur rubbed his face with his hand, "I don't understand anything anymore. What is going on, father? If you know something, you must tell me."

"Morgause was Vivienne's first child, before she met Gorlois," Uther said suddenly.

"I know all that," Arthur replied, "I know Vivienne gave the baby up, I know Gorlois left Morgause money when she turned eighteen. I know all of this. I just don't know why Morgause would kidnap Morgana or why it would cause Morgana to flee the country."

Uther breathed in slowly. "Okay Arthur. You want to know the truth?"

"Yes," Arthur nodded impatiently.

"If I tell you this," Uther started carefully, "if I trust you with this information, I need to know you'll be on my side and no one else's. Do you understand me?"

Arthur waited a beat, before nodding again. "Yes. Yes, I'm on your side. Tell me."

"You might want to sit down," Uther tore off his black leather gloves, "it's a rather long story."

**::**

* * *

Morgana threw her phone to the ground before driving the heel of her boot into the screen. It cracked easily.

"Arthur thinks you've left London?"

Morgana looked over to Morgause. "Yes," she replied, "I wish I could involve him, but he's too close to Uther."

Morgause walked over to her apartment window and glanced out at the London overview. She could make out the London eye, moving round. "I know you wish Arthur could be involved, but for his safety, he cannot. And besides," she spun around, "you and Arthur are not of blood relation. If he knew what you were planning to do to his own father, would he side with you? I think perhaps he would not. He's not really your sibling, Morgana. I am."

Morgana bit back a comment, looking away. She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "What will happen to Arthur, when we implement the plan?"

"Well, if all goes according to plan," Morgause replied softly, "he and Uther will be disgraced of the Pendragon name. When Uther gets what's coming to him, Arthur will fall from grace as well, in his personal life and in the public's eyes. When we replace Uther's will, you will become CEO of Pendragon Industries. The Uther Pendragon that you know of today will cease to exist. We'll have our revenge, our justice. We can free our mother, be reunited as a family, living comfortably for the rest of our lives on Uther's money."

"I've already told you," Morgana started, "I don't want to hurt Arthur."

"And as I've promised you, we won't physically harm him," Morgause shook her head, "we only want to kill Uther. But you must prepare yourself for the consequences. Arthur does not know the monster you witnessed as a child. He will mourn his father as the only parent he had left in his life. As a result of our actions, Arthur will be disgraced and he will be hurt, but he's just collateral damage, Morgana. You have to remember that."

"Collateral damage," Morgana said dryly.

"It just comes down to a case of how much you want Uther to suffer, to pay for what he's done," Morgause walked across the room and placed her hands on Morgana's face. "You do want him to suffer, don't you?"

Morgana nodded. "I want him to burn to hell."

"Well then," Morgause smiled broadly, "everything's in place. The only thing we have to worry about is your ex boyfriend. What was his name again? Marvin?"

"Merlin," Morgana cleared her throat. "He's Emrys, the conman planning to attack Albion's opening, although I doubt he'll try anything now. I discovered him, he fled my apartment, I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Morgause let out a slight laugh, "Oh sweetie, you don't really think his guilt will stop him, do you? Morgana, he used you, he never loved you, he only pretended to care for you to get close to you. If his methods didn't nearly destroy you, I might even commend his efforts at trying to attack Uther. He's clearly as charming as he is clever. What's his side-kick's name again?"

"Gwen," Morgana's face had hardened, her tone steely.

"I have an idea," Morgause said suddenly, her eyes bright. "I think I've found a way for Merlin and his pesky band of merry thieves to be taken care of and we won't even have to lift a finger."

"How?" Morgana's stomach swooped.

"If Uther finds out about Merlin being Emrys, he won't hesitate to take care of him," Morgause smirked deviously, "and once Merlin's out of the way, we can be absolutely positive that nothing will mess with our plan."

Morgana swallowed. "But if you tell Uther about Merlin, he will kill him, Morgause. But he will torture him beforehand, and eventually Merlin will talk, about you, about me, about everything he knows. He doesn't know everything, but he knows about you and for our plan to work, its imperative that Uther doesn't know we're working together."

Morgause sighed, "True, very true, sister. Well then, I guess we'll need to take care of him ourselves."

"What does that mean?" Morgana looked over, her eyes narrowed.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Morgause replied, "We have to kill him."

"No," Morgana shook her head vehemently, "I told you: I only want Uther dead."

"He used you!" Morgause cried suddenly, "In every possible sense of the word, Morgana, he used you! He told you a few pretty words to get into your heart and into your pants. Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to hurt him, even just a little bit?"

"I _won't_ become like Uther," Morgana said furiously, tears in her eyes, "I won't kill everyone who hurts me. Is that what you want me to do, Morgause? Because if that's how it works, then I guess I'd have to kill you and my mother, right? I mean, you both lied to me, manipulated the way I met you. Should I kill you both for wronging me then?"

"That was different," Morgause straightened considerably, "Our mother and I did that to protect you. Uther killed your father in front of you in anger and rage. And Merlin used you for his own selfish means, to protect his own family, his Gaius. My motives were purely in your best interest. I'm the only one who has your best interests at heart, Morgana. You'll do well to remember that."

The silence echoed around them.

Morgana wanted to cry but she wouldn't. She wouldn't let another tear spill from her eye. Not until all of this was over and she could breathe easily again. She wished she was breaking all over again, but she wasn't. She was already broken. And broken people do horrible things, because if they can't feel the good anymore, then the only other option is to feel the bad, otherwise... Otherwise they'd feel nothing at all. And Morgana knew she'd rather feel the bad than not feel anything at all. When she felt nothing, it was easier to imagine her death. It was easier to imagine jumping from a London building into the sweet release of death.

"I'll take care of him," Morgana said softly, conceding for what felt like the hundredth time that week.

"You will?" Morgause looked at her, surprised.

"Let me try it my way," Morgana added, "and then, if he still doesn't back off, you can take care of him, your way."

"There," Morgause smiled, "we reached an amicable agreement and I think its safe to say we've survived our second sibling fight. I bet Arthur never let you win." She touched Morgana's arm as she walked off towards the hall and disappeared around the corner.

Morgana blinked, watching her leave. "Arthur and I don't fight," she whispered.

**::**

* * *

**The Next Night**

Merlin opened his apartment door and walked inside. He flicked on the hall light and closed the door behind him. Gwen was working a night shift, she wouldn't be home til after five, maybe even six. Sometimes Merlin and Gwen missed each other often because of Gwen's working schedules and Merlin's hectic days at Gaius's workshop. They left each other scribbled notes on the fridge sometimes, and often put their leftover food in the oven for the other to find.

Merlin was about to walk into the kitchen to feed Kilgharrah, when he saw his unusual cat, sitting in front of his closed bedroom door, scratching away at it. "What's the matter, Killy?" Merlin murmured, walking towards his bedroom door. Then he froze and frowned, because he had left his bedroom door open before he went to work, and now it was closed. And Gwen wouldn't have touched it... surely?

His heart started to hammer inside his chest and he felt a pull of nausea nestle in the pit of his stomach. What if Morgause had broken into his apartment and was waiting for him inside his bedroom, ready to kill him? Was Morgana's sister capable of that? He honestly didn't know because, he didn't know Morgause, or Vivienne and he realised suddenly, deep down, that maybe he didn't really know Morgana either.

Just as Merlin reached out to open his door—

"I finished your bourbon. Hope you don't mind."

Merlin spun around, staring down the hallway with narrowed eyes. Morgana was leaning in the kitchen doorway, her arms folded. Her black hair was pulled into a high pony tail and her pale face was makeup-less. Her lips were chapped and she had bags under her eyes but she still looked breathtakingly stunning, to him. There was a long pause of awkward silence, the air thick and swelling with tension.

Unspoken words dangled in the air between them, the void pierced by both gazes, locked onto each other. Merlin could hear his heartbeat in his eardrums, thumping away. His palms turned clammy and he felt a warm sensation of sweat trickle down his spine but he stayed motionless. He couldn't move, because he was terrified that if he did, she would fade away right before his very eyes.

What. The. Hell... was she doing in his apartment?

Morgana looked away first, her lips curved upwards. "You're looking very devastated, Merlin. I do hope it's not on my account."

Merlin opened his mouth, lips dry. "W-what are you doing here?" he forced out, hoarsely. He hated the distance between them but he couldn't fool himself into thinking they could go backwards, to how they used to be. That wasn't possible, not anymore. Too much had happened.

"Where _are_ you manners, Merlin?" Morgana whirled around, walking back into his kitchen. "Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" she opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a half empty bottle of straight vodka. When she turned around, Merlin had shuffled his way into the kitchen doorway, watching her with dark eyes.

"Let's see if I remember where..." she started, heading straight for the second drawer, finding a collection of small shot glasses. "Want one?" she asked him. When he didn't reply, she said, "More for me then," she picked up a shot glass, knocked the drawer shut with her hip and started pouring herself a shot of vodka.

Merlin watched her down the first shot.

"There's something to hitting rock bottom," Morgana said suddenly, pouring herself another shot, "it's easier to imagine horrible catastrophes happening to the world and actually being disappointed when they don't happen," she smiled bitterly and held the shot glass up to him in a mock toast, "bet you'd know all about horrible catastrophes, wouldn't you Merlin?" she forced the shot down her throat, "If you don't stay out of my way, I promise you, your life will be one."

Merlin's eyebrows knotted together. "Morgana. _You're_ the one drinking Gwen's alcohol after breaking into _my_ apartment. I am staying out of way, like you asked."

"So sweet and naïve," Morgana muttered under her breath. She looked at him and said coldly, "No. You're misunderstanding me. I'm not talking about the sham of a relationship we had, you idiot. I'm talking about your half-assed plan to rob my dear adoptive father. You need to stay out of Uther's way."

Merlin stared at her and then his face fell in realisation, "Oh my... are you working for Morgause? What you said, last week, after coming out of her apartment, you said she wanted Uther's head on a pike... Why? What does she get out of this and why are you helping her?"

Morgana's face hardened, she dropped her gaze and poured herself another shot of vodka.

"It's got something to do with your mother," Merlin continued, taking a step towards her, "You said she spoke to you, which is _impossible_, for someone with her condition..." he breathed out, "Did Uther put your mother in a mental institution for... _nothing_?"

"Stay out of this, Merlin," Morgana snapped, "This has nothing to do with you, and if you continue with your plans to attack Uther, I'll be forced to take care of you."

Merlin pulled back, expression contorted. "'Take care of me?' What the hell does that mean?"

"It means," she looked at him, "that I'm a very resourceful woman with an endless list of means. Don't forget that."

"Death threats," Merlin smiled bitterly, shaking his head, "we really have hit rock bottom, haven't we?"

"_You_ aren't in anyway close to rock bottom," Morgana hissed, downing another shot. She glared at him, "I swear to God, Emrys, if you don't keep yourself out of this, then I will give Gaius another heart attack and end him myself. Do you understand me?"

Merlin's face drained of colour. "How could you?" he started, "How could you threaten—"

"For what Gaius did, he's lucky that's all I'm doing to him," Morgana barked, "death would be an act of kindness for what he deserves."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Merlin thundered.

Morgana laughed: a short angry barking laugh. "You don't know anything!" she declared, "How did you honestly think that you could rob Uther Pendragon when you don't even have any idea what's going on? You're pathetic, Merlin, and I hope you burn in hell."

Merlin looked upwards, tears in his eyes. "Yeah," he agreed, "I'll save you a seat."

"You get one warning before Morgause takes action," Morgana said quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks, "and this was it, Merlin. Whatever happens next is up to you. I can't protect you after this," she put down the shot glass and walked past him, towards the hallway.

"It wasn't a sham," Merlin whirled around, hands trembling.

Morgana stopped before the front door but didn't turn around.

"I know we can't go back," Merlin said, voice hard and expression broken, "but it wasn't a sham relationship. Not for me, anyway."

"I need you to do me one last favour," Morgana whispered.

"Anything," Merlin ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"I need you to give Arthur a message from me," she said, "Tell him, I've been listening to The Riverboat Song."

Merlin frowned, "What—"

"Just give him the message, he'll know what it means," Morgana cut him off. She reached out and opened the front door, waiting still. "Goodbye, Merlin."

Silence.

"Say it," Morgana whispered.

Merlin shook his head repeatedly. "I don't want to," he whispered back.

"Just... say it," she pleaded, her back still to him, "I just—I need to hear you say it."

Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Goodbye," he said breathlessly.

Then, like nothing had happened, she strolled out of his apartment and slammed the door shut behind her.

Merlin stood, still and motionless. He tried to remember every detail of her face, but it was already fading from his memory. The silence and loneliness of his apartment mocked him, left him jaded and scarred.

There was nothing to suggest she had ever been there at all.


End file.
